


Shatter

by HalloQueen



Category: Fallout 3
Genre: Action/Adventure, Charon - Freeform, Drama, Embarrassment, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Falling In Love, Fallout, Fallout 3 - Freeform, Family Loss, Funny, Ghoul, Ghouls, Love, Minor Character Death, Revenge, Romance, Sharing a Bed, Silly, Super Mutants, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-06-10 06:18:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 63,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6943297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HalloQueen/pseuds/HalloQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They wanted her dead, she just didn't know it yet. After her escape from the vault, Lily's been desperately trying to find her father and has ran into nothing but trouble. Part of that is due to her own nature, always wanting to help others. When her travels bring her to Charon, things only get worse. Every day is a fight for her life, some danger more apparent than others.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

I raised my pistol, taking aim at the back of the closest feral's head. Even if I managed to take the ghoul out with one shot, I didn't like my chances of killing three more before they charged me. I was no coward, however. In the wasteland, the smallest mistake could cost you your life. I'd been in worse situations than this and had always found a way to elude death. This case would prove no different, I was sure of it. I grit my teeth, steeled my nerves, then fired. The laser flew towards its target unerringly. The ghoul didn't even have time to turn towards the sound of the gun shot before its head exploded into ash. Its three companions; however, hissed and spat with rage as they turned my way.  
"Shit, shit!" I whispered under my breath as i frantically took aim once more. My next shot flew into my victims chest, blood erupting from the wound as the feral toppled to the floor. The remaining ghouls paid no heed to their fallen companion and rushed forward, their gore-matted hands reaching out for me. I pulled the trigger again, and then once more, but to my horror and utter consternation nothing happened. "Come on you piece of junk, don't jam on me now!" The gun remained unresponsive despite my best efforts to force it to fire. I threw it to the ground and tore my sword from its sheathe at my side as the monsters came upon me. I dove to the side, narrowly avoiding one ghoul as it lunged straight for me. Recovering quickly, I squared up my body and held out my sword defensively with both hands. Being smarter than they looked, the creatures approached slowly, waiting for an opportunity to strike out at me.

Was this it then? Was I to become a snack for a couple of feral ghouls, betrayed by my own stupid gun? It was likely that i could dispatch one, whichever had the misfortune of attacking me first, but then I'd have no ready defense against the second ghoul who would surely follow the first in his attack. I thought of my father then, wherever he was. What would he think when he found out about my death? Well, that was an easy one, he wouldn't think anything because he would never know what happened to me. No one came down in these tunnels, and for good reason. I'd just be another nameless wanderer with my mangled body added to the feral's collection. "And so I die?" I scoffed bitterly. The two ghouls seemed to smile at that, readying their attack. One of the ferals let out a hiss as it shot towards me. I held my ground, not attempting to stop it or to scramble out of its way. As it neared the end of its flight, its disgusting face inches away from mine, i spun passed it, slamming the hilt of my sword into the second ghouls face. "Psych!" I shouted. Bone cracked with the impact and the monster roared in pain as it reeled backwards, the sound brought a wide smile to my face as I scooped up my laser pistol and sprinted down the tunnel. Yea, like a couple of ghouls would best me. Not likely, I thought as i ran on.

Of course, it didn't take long for the ghouls to recover and begin their pursuit. I had expected them to follow after me, but I'd hoped I would be able to out-distance them enough to safety exit the station. I hadn't factored in that there might be even more ghouls further down in the tunnels to slow me. Sure enough, after making it over a steep incline, I spotted the form of three more ferals crouched together in the middle of my path. The trio were too preoccupied devouring their latest prey; an unfortunate adventure I deduced by what was left of him, to pay me any mind. I didn't slow my pace, the sight of the dead adventure had doubled my sense of urgency and I flew past the hostile creatures as fast as I could. One of them looked up from his meal as I went by. Leaping to its feet, it lashed out at me. I cried in pain as the warmth of my blood trailed down my arm. I clutched at the wound, but didn't dare to slow my pace. Fear overrode my pain, the feral and his companions had begun the chase and were closing in fast. Ahead of me, I could see the turn of the tunnel. It wasn't much further to the exit from there. I rounded the bend, my legs began to burn, my breath coming in short spurts. My arm throbbed as blood continued to pour from it. I felt as if I would pass out, ultimately meeting at my end after all.

Suddenly, a door along the side of the tunnel burst open and I couldn't slow myself in time to avoid the hand that shot out and grabbed me, pulling me back into the dark room. The door slammed shut behind me. I tried to open my mouth to scream, but it was quickly covered by a large hand.  
"Shhh!" came a voice, "stay quiet ," The deep, raspy tone told me that it was a ghoul that held me. Their voices being quite distinct from a human. I was also only a hundred feet from the gate that lead up to Underworld's doorstep: a place loaded with ghouls. "You got a death wish or something?" The ghoul asked harshly, though the question must have been rhetorical for he didn't remove his hands and allow me to speak. Many moments of silence passed which I used to examine my surroundings. The room, from what I could tell, was small, something like a utility closet. There was no brightness in the room except for what came from an emergency light that flitted in from the small window on the door. The shelves that lined all four walls were filled with toolboxes and scraps of metal. I recalled one of my earlier visits to underworld when I had tried to pick the lock to this door. I'd failed miserably, the lock proving to be too much of a challenge. It did make me wonder, who exactly snatched me up into this inaccessible room? Why was he down here in the first place? Finally the ghoul removed his hand. " There may be more close by, keep your voice down." He moved away from me to stand against the door, effectively blocking the light from the window. I tried examining the ghoul, but could see nothing besides his massive silhouette. One thing was for sure, he was larger than the average ghoul and a monster compared to me, standing at least a foot over my head. "Shouldn't come down here. Its dangerous." He said, as if he were my parents or something. I shrugged, though i doubted he could see the motion at all.  
"I'm going to Underworld."  
"There are safer ways-"  
"Uh, nope," I argued "between super mutants that want to torture then eat me and ferals that just want to eat me, I'd take my chances against ferals any day."  
I guess he didn't think that was funny, for he didn't make a single sound. I scratched the back of my head uncomfortably. Tough crowd, huh? He turned to look out the small window.

"They're leaving. Its safe now." He opened the door a crack, just enough light poured in to shine down on me. He turned around to look back at me, though I still couldn't see his face. Another moment of silence passed, then he spoke. "You're hurt. I have stimpacks." He shut the door again before any light could betray his own identity. I instinctively reached for my wounded arm, wincing as i did so. I had forgotten about the pain momentarily and now it was back with vengeance.  
"Its ok! It looks worse than it is." Really, though, it was throbbing with every breath I took but I didn't need to owe this guy any more than I already did. The ghoul fished through his pocket then held two stimpacks out to me.  
"Take them." He said, much more softly were his words than they had been the rest of our conversation prior. Whether it was the softness of his command or the pain in my arm, I couldn't refuse the offer. I took the aid, and I was grateful for the instant relief it gave me.  
"Thank you." I said as he turned away to once again open the door. "Wait!" I couldn't just let him leave after everything he'd done, but more than that, there was something I had to know. Something didn't add up about his presence in the station. I'd traversed these tunnels a fair number of times and I had never seen anyone except for dead bodies and ferals. "No one ever comes down here. How did you know I would? Not that I'm ungrateful to you, but your rescue was rather...unexpected." The question gave him pause, though his answer gave nothing away.

"It is coincidence. The rest of the way is safe. I suggest you leave soon." And with that, he was gone, running off in the direction of Underworld before I could speak another word. I watched him leave, tempted to follow behind him and discover his identity but ultimately, I decided against it. He obviously didn't want me to know who he was and after saving my life I would oblige him, for now at least. Once I made it to underworld however, I would begin investigating. I can't just leave my debts unpaid, what kind of person would that make me? There weren't that many ghouls in Underworld, and I knew a few by name. I would find this guy whether he wanted to be found or not.


	2. Two

At one of the empty tables in Carol's Place, I sat. I'd made it through the rest of the metro station with out any trouble. The way was clear, or rather, it had been cleared. Several corpses of recently slain ghouls littered the floor. When I asked Willow; the ghoul that stood guard at the museum entrance, she had claimed to have seen no one exit the tunnels before me. That was odd, seeing as how there couldn't have been much of a lapse of time between myself and the ghoul's appearance in Underworld. Needless to say, I hadn't made any progress towards unmasking my savior, and that fact frustrated me more than a little. It'd been hours and no one had seen anyone enter Underworld early this morning.  
" How does the food taste?" asked Carol, who stood at the other end of the table. I had been so absorbed with my thoughts I hadn't seen her approach. I looked down at the brahmin steak I'd been mindlessly cutting apart for the past half hour.  
" It's great." I replied with a smile but Carol only frowned.  
"You haven't hardly touched it." I sighed, setting the knife I was holding down and motioning for her to sit. I had already filled Carol in on what happened but she hadn't been able to help me either. "Still wondering about that mystery ghoul?" She asked as she sat down.  
"He's got to be somewhere in this city. He can't just save someone's life then vanish without a trace, that's not how it works." I actually had no idea 'how it worked', I'd never been saved from a life-threatening situation before. Carol laughed and shook her head.  
"Not all kind acts have to be rewarded." I didn't miss the reference. I had said the exact same thing to her when I had agreed to deliver a message to her son, Gob, who lived all the way in Megaton. " but if your mind is set on finding him, I would try the Ninth Circle. There's a lot shady characters there, but they're very well informed. They know about the comings and goings of everyone around here." I eyed her curiously.  
"Why would they agree to tell me anything? I don't have the caps to bribe them." She made a clucking sound with her tongue and reached out to give my hand a squeeze. Her rough fingers were freezing to the touch but soothing, like what I would imagine a motherly hand would feel like when she took up her child's.  
"With your silver tongue? You will have an easier time than anyone else would. Besides, you're a pretty, young smooth-skin in a city of ghouls. They'll talk." It couldn't hurt to try, I supposed. I thanked Carol for the meal and took the sealed note with another message to Gob inside.  
"I'll make for Megaton as soon as I'm able." I promised her. Before I departed she gave me a hug.  
"Be safe, be careful."

I really liked Carol, and seeing her happy warmed my heart. When I found and properly thanked my hero, my next order of business would be to head to Moriarty's place and get the information on my father, as well as free Gob from his servitude. I had just collected enough caps to pay off Moriarty's stupid bribe and if I had to take Gob by force, I would. Carol deserved as much. The bar Carol spoke of was a straight shot up the stairs. Upon entering the Ninth Circle, I immediately felt out of place, more so than simply being a human in a city of ghouls. I could feel all eyes were on me in the busy bar. I brushed the nerve shattering feeling away. I was here for information, I reminded myself. No ghoul was going to intimidate me. Most of the patrons sat in small groups, talking quietly amongst themselves. I decided to approach a rather grumpy looking ghoul, who sat alone smoking a cigarette at a corner table.  
"Yea? What the hell do you want?" He demanded, a distasteful look spreading across his green face the moment he spotted me.  
"That's a fine hello," I replied coolly as I took a seat across from him, "is that meant to scare me?" The ghoul's scowl deepened.  
"You smooth-skins think you own the damn world, walking around acting like you're better than us ghouls. Who do you think you are-"  
"Just call me Minx," I interrupted, extending my hand to him. Of course, that wasn't my real name. Who would name their child Minx? I learned that it's better if people knew as little about you as possible out here. So I had to say goodbye to Lily, and hello to the new me, Minx. "and I've never met a ghoul I considered myself better than." For a moment, it looked as if he wasn't going to buy my honey words, but then he began to smile slowly.

"Ahah! That's more like it. I like you, smooth-skin, the names Crowley." He shook my offered hand then relaxed back into his chair. I smiled charmingly at him.  
"A pleasure, Mr. Crowley. I was told this is the place to go when I need answers. You look like a well-informed man. I'm betting you know a lot about what goes on around here." Mr. Crowley raised an eyebrow.  
"What do you wanna know, doll?" 'Doll', ugh, gimme a break. I scooped up a lock of my thick, strawberry-blonde hair and began twisting it around my delicate finger. I wasn't particularly experienced in speaking to male ghouls, other than Gob and my short encounter with the mystery ghoul. Hell, I didn't really know how to talk to men at all. I was feeling a little bit out of my element. Ever since first leaving the vault, every situation had proven new and challenging. I'd overcome quite a lot since stepping out of that underground prison. Mr. Crowley may be a ghoul, but he was still just a person, not like he'd eat me or anything. Well, ghouls could turn feral so that may not have been entirely accurate.  
"There's eyes all over Underworld. Someone has to know about whose going in and out of those museum doors." Mr. Crowley nodded his assent.   
"We get a lot of through-traffic," he licked his thin, yellow lips before taking a long drag on his cigarette. I watched, still wearing that dumb smile, as he puffed the smoke into small rings, "all of them ghouls. You're the only human that frequents this hole so much. Gotta tell you, cant say I mind watching you come and go."

I fought hard to hide my disdain as he devoured me with his gaze. Figures, a ghoul on the outside but a regular old pervert on the inside. To Crowley, I smiled coyly.  
"I wasn't aware that I'd attracted so much attention. I'm actually trying to find a ghoul, not a human, that came through the metro tunnels shortly before me this morning." Mr. Crowley shook his head.  
"Listen, doll face. I'll be honest, I'm not in the habit of watching the day-to-day activity of every ghoul in Underworld. Frankly, I got better things to do. Only reason I knew your business is 'cause you're human. Don't get many of your kind around here and on top of that, they're usually just a couple of pricks up to no good. So, naturally, people kept a close eye on you," He took a final puff on his cigarette before snuffing it in the filthy ash tray on the table, "your best bet would be to go see Ahzrukhal, he owns this joint." He jerked his thumb towards the half-wall at his back. "Just on the other side, the guy standing at the counter. Oh, and be sure not to piss him off," He cautioned, "he's got a body guard. Big, mean-looking son of a bitch, watching his every move. Would hate to see something happen to that pretty face." I frowned and he wheezed out a laugh. Seeing that he had nothing more for me to gain from him, I jumped on the opportunity to get up from the table and move towards the other side of the half-wall. I immediately spotted who I assumed was Ahzrukhal, a weathered looking ghoul standing behind the counter with his arms folded over his chest. I had the distinct feeling I wasn't going to enjoy talking to him any more than Mr. Crowley.

Instead of moving straight for him, i looked around the busy bar at the patrons, all ghouls, who filled the tables, drinking dark liquid and chatting quietly to one another. In the opposite corner from Ahzrukhal was where the 'big, mean looking' body guard stood. It was true, he was taller than any ghoul I'd ever seen and he didn't exactly look very friendly but not many ghouls did, especially when looking at a human. There was something about him though, something familiar that made me walk boldly forward to stand before him. I saw his eyes widen slightly in surprise. He didn't speak, he didn't even move at all except for tilting his head downward to look at me. He was a giant, all right, standing at least a foot or more above me. Just like the ghoul in the metro tunnels. Recognition dawned on me and I opened my mouth to speak.  
"Talk to Ahzrukhal." The ghoul demanded, his voice deep and intimidating. It sounded all too familiar. My mouth shut and I examined his stony face intently. He stared right back at me and I think we both understood that I was on to him.  
"I just want to ask you some questions." The ghoul cocked a brow and regarded me skeptically, then shook his head.  
"Ask Ahzrukhal." I narrowed my eyes at him. Stubborn old thing, wasn't he? Fine, I'd play his game.  
"Right, Azruhkal." I remarked flatly, turning away from him and strolling over to the counter. Ahzrukhal was waiting for me, a wide, somewhat forceful smile spread across his face.  
"Welcome to the Ninth Circle, what can I assist you with?" Something about the old ghoul made me feel on edge. He had a look of superiority about him. Whether it was only self-induced, I couldn't tell. I rested an elbow on the bar.  
"What's the deal with the guy in the corner?" I tilted my head in the direction of the surly figure that loomed in the shadowy corner.

"Charon? He is my employee." I waited for him to say more but he did not, so i asked him,   
"Employee? So what is he like a paid mercenary?" Azruhkal chuckled, his rotting teeth showing through thin lips.  
"Paid? Oh, no. He performs any task I demand of him because I hold his contract." I stared at him incredulously.  
"Contract." I echoed and he only nodded. That sounded a lot like another arrangement I'd heard of involving Gob, but instead of some contract, it was a death threat from Moriarty.  
"He's a slave!" I accused, loud enough to draw the attention of several of the patrons in the bar. Azruhkal looked displeased, but i didn't care, in fact, I was tempted to say more. It wasn't the first time I'd ran into an oppressed ghoul in the wastes. If I did say more, it was likely Ahzrukhal would have me thrown out by the very ghoul we were discussing. I exhaled deeply as I calmed myself. Ahzrukhal also relaxed visibly.  
"Now, good woman. You insult me! Charon's own actions brought him to my service. You see, his previous employer brainwashed him into believing this small piece of paper allows the owner to dictate his actions. I bought this fairly and now he follows me." Oh, I thought, I see, that makes it completely OK! He's simply brainwashed, that wasn't slavery! Gimme a break. How does something like that even happen?  
"Of course, excuse my outburst. I'm sure Charon is a special case." I said aloud, bowing my head so that I could roll my eyes without being noticed. "I think a ghoul bodyguard would be quite useful for someone like me. I travel a lot and it's often pretty dangerous. Would you be willing to sell his contract?" He scoffed.  
"Now why would I do something like that? He is very valuable, you know."   
"I can pay you whatever you feel he is worth." I said, confidently. Ahzrukhal considered the offer for a moment, his hand rubbing at his scabbed chin.  
"I could sell it to you, but the price may prove to be far out of your reach." He replied with condescension. I felt the sudden urge to test if my fist was out of reach of the snide ghouls face, but my better judgement stopped me.  
"Try me."  
"One thousand caps and it's yours," I huffed at the exorbitant amount. Doing a mental count of the caps I had in my pack, I knew I had no more than 600. He noted my irritated expression and added, "of course, were you to perform a small task for me, I'd gladly sign over the contract to you." I eyed his cool manner suspiciously.  
"Why not just have your 'employee' do it?"  
"Oh, no. I cant do that." Ahzrukhal explained, "I need him to stay here, he never leaves the Ninth Circle, you see." Never, huh? I wasn't so sure about that. Staring at him blankly, I waited for him to continue. "Are you familiar with Greta? You must be, I know you visit Carol often."  
"I know her." I replied, eager to be done with the discussion. I could sense those eyes from across the room boring down on me.  
"Kill her. If there are no witnesses, I'll give you Charons contract." I frowned, not being overly shocked by the request.

Murder was an accepted and expected thing here in the wastes. Greta was Carol's lover, and she helped her run Carols Place; a diner that was likely combating for business with the Ninth Circle. I'd seen enough of the wastes to understand the extent of people's brutality. It had only strengthened my resolve to never allow my own humanity to slip away.  
"I'm not a murderer. You're dumber than I thought if you really believed I would agree to something like that." I replied coldly. Of course, I'd killed before. Anyone that wanted to survive out here had to, but it was always out of necessity. It sickened me to even consider performing such a heinous act. Carol loved Greta and although I hadn't received the warmest of welcomes from her, I respected her. Ahzrukhal looked a bit disappointed by my response, but not too surprised.  
"Then I suppose the contract isn't so important to you." He remarked offhandedly.  
"Listen," I said, losing patience with the old ghoul.  
"I told you already, I'll get you those caps. Tonight. I expect the contract to be ready and waiting for me."

I didn't wait for a reply before shoving away from the counter and stomping over, once again, to the giant ghoul who'd been staring me down.  
"Talk-" he began but I quickly cut him off.  
"Yea, Ahzrukhal, I know. Just got done doing that, as I'm sure you noticed," I gestured with both hands to the counter which stood no more than 20 feet away. "Sufficed to say, he's a real dick." Charon made no reply, though he looked like he agreed with the statement. I folded my arms and continued, trying my best to appear unbothered by how far back I had to crane my neck to look at him. "So listen up, big guy. Ahzrukhal over there? He is going to be handing your contract over to me," under my breath I added, "Once i find a way to get a thousand caps." Still, Charon didn't respond though i hardly expected him to. This conversation was more for me anyway. "Don't worry, I will be back. I won't forget about you or anything. I promise." I turned away from him to head for the exit when a hand reached out and grabbed my shoulder. I turned back to regard him, noting the growing confusion on his face.  
"Why?" He asked bluntly. I pondered the question. Why, indeed. Why had I decided to spend a thousand caps to save him when I'd just saved enough to pay Moriarty for the information about my father? A part of me had felt something when I'd first spotted him. I knew he was the one who had saved me in the metro station, though I couldn't begin to guess why he would do that, he didn't even know me. Could my search really be over so easily? I mean, he was the only giant ghoul in this entire building, and even if he wasn't the one, he deserved his freedom. Seriously though, he was obviously the one. A slow smile spread across my face.   
"Because. I never let my debts go unpaid. Especially those that have to do with saving my life." Charon's hand fell from my shoulder and went limp at his side. My smile grew all the wider as I backed away from him, turning around to skip out of the Ninth Circle.


	3. Three

" Only 300 caps, Tulip! It's a steal!" He heard the smooth-skin say from the other side of the door. Jebs, the assassin ( though not a particularly good one) listened as he waited for his chance to strike. This was his opportunity to prove himself, finally make a name for himself. Ahzrukhal had barged into his room just as Jebs had begun slipping into sleep, demanding he go after some girl that had apparently made him pretty upset. The name of the girl sounded familiar to him.  
"Minx?" He'd asked, "but I though-"  
"I'm not paying you to think, I'm paying you to do. So do it." Ahzrukhal hissed before he stormed out of the room.  
Jebs yawned loudly and slouched against the door of Tulip's store. He hadn't gotten a decent sleep in so long, it seemed like every time he tried to close his eyes, someone was always there to wake him up again. When he completed this contract though, things would be different. Ahzrukhal was offering big caps for this job. He'd buy himself a bed, a real one, unlike the wad of uncomfortable pre-war clothes he'd been using as substitute.  
How many pillows could he buy with a thousand caps, he mused. Perhaps he would settle for just one, a big fluffy one. Oh, to experience the serenity of a soft pillow beneath his tired head. Surely he would have no trouble sleeping then. Thinking about it only made him more tired. The now distant sound of the melodious voice of the smooth-skin began coaxing his eyes shut. It couldn't hurt to close them for just a moment, he reasoned. Just long enough until the girl came out. Couldn't hurt at all. Slowly, his lids began to droop until he saw only blackness.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Tulip frowned at me. "Minx, you're one of my only customers, and I appreciate you, really I do but," she glanced down at my good ol' faithful laser pistol that sat on the counter top, "It's old..very old. I wouldn't pay that much for. A brand new one!" My heart sank. Of course, I knew the piece of junk wasn't even worth 30 caps, though I'd omitted the fact that it hardly ever fired to Tulip. What else could I do? I needed that contract! There was no way was going to let that smug Ahzrukhal win out over me, but I was running out of time. The scrap I collected set me 100 caps closer to my goal, thanks to Winthrop agreeing to pay me this time around instead of trading the usual aid supplies. I had considered asking Carol for the caps but had ultimately changed my mind. There was a reason I had refused payment from Carol in the first place. Though she owned a diner, Carol wasn't exactly wealthy. Besides, she had enough hardship to cope with to be worrying about my problems too. I looked around the small, ruined shop, searching for an answer to appear before me. Tulip had offered me 500 for my sword, which I had hastily declined. This sword never left me, it never would. It was my first memory out of the vault, an unpleasant one but one that I couldn't allow myself to forget. No, it would have to be the pistol, though it was worthless. Then my eyes lit up.  
"What about a loan?" I suggested.  
"A loan?" Tulip asked, resting her elbows on the counter. I could see she wasn't overly fond of the suggestion, so I continued quickly.   
"I borrow the 300 from you, and I will pay you back with interest! Ill go double. 600 caps." Tulip's eyes widened.  
"Really? That's very generous of you."  
"That's how important these caps are to me, Tulip. Can you help me out?" She did end up agreeing to my terms, though I still made her keep my pistol. It just didn't feel right leaving her with nothing.  
"I'll repay you as soon as I can, I promise!" I'd been making a lot of promises lately, hopefully I'd be able to keep them all. My pipboy's time read 9PM. It'd taken longer than I thought to come up with the caps. Hopefully, Ahzrukhal was still expecting me.  
"Be safe!" Tulip called to me as I rushed to the closed door and burst through. A loud smacking noise ensued as the door flung open and I distinctly heard someone cry out. When I looked behind the door I saw a rather sorry looking ghoul on his stomach with his feet sticking up in the air.

"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed, rushing over to help him up. I lifted him by his arm and he looked at me with dazed, dreamy eyes. "I am so sorry, I didn't see you there! Are you alright?" The ghoul didn't reply, just nodded his head slowly up and down, his eyes closing. Was this guy falling asleep? "I'm gonna put you down over here ok?" He allowed me to guide him to a small, wooden bench where I gently sat him down. "Again, sorry I smashed you with a door." He muttered something unintelligible about pillows, really strange but I didn't have time to do anything more for him. That door couldn't have done any serious damage anyway.  
"Sorry again!" I called as I rushed back to the Ninth Circle. 

The look on Ahzrukhal's face when I walked through those doors was priceless. It was obvious he hadn't expected me to deliver. Score one for me, because there I was, tossing a hefty bag of caps down on the counter. Ahzrukhal eyed the bag and me with open indignation "Your life savings, I presume?"  
"Yup." I said with a smile, it really was. His smug attitude couldn't get to me now, though. He scowled.  
"I'll need time to count it after my patrons leave, I wont be short-changed. Come back at closing, maybe we can finish this then." That didn't sit well with me. It was obvious he was trying to back out of the deal. My eyes narrowed dangerously.  
"Now. I'm not waiting, I told you I was coming back. Do it now or I'll relieve you of that contract myself." The threat was mostly an empty one. If what this ugly ghoul said about Charon was true, he'd likely rip me in half if I even attempted to harm his boss. Ahzrukhal scoffed.  
"You're bold to threaten me." He made no immediate move to pick up the bag until a few moments had passed. It felt like an eternity to me, staring at his dumb face. but if he thought I was going to back down, he was wrong. Finally, he poured the contents of the bag out and began counting. I watched him carefully, not trusting him one bit. If he went back on the deal, it wouldn't be by saying I'd short-changed him. Once he finished counting, he shot a nervous glance over at Charon, who remained passive in the corner of the room. It'd been hours and he hadn't moved an inch? I wondered what he did when he had to pee. Then as an afterthought, I didn't really want to know.  
"Why do you want this?" He asked, removing the contract from his suit pocket. I glowered at him, not willing to play twenty questions. I was ready to be done with this guy.  
"You have your caps, hand it over." Ahzrukhal sneered. His eyes darted to the bar door, but when I looked I saw nothing. I suppose it was just more stalling. He tossed the paper over to me. I snatched it out of the air and stared intently at the old ghoul. I couldn't just leave without saying something about how scummy i thought he was. "It's because no one deserves to be treated like a slave. Especially by trash like you." He didn't respond, he didn't need to. I was satisfied.

I pushed away from the counter and moved towards Charon.  
"Hey sunshine, look what I've got?" I said dangling the scroll out in front of me. Charon looked to me, then at the scroll, then back again.  
"He sold you my contract?" I nodded happily, opening my mouth to tell him what I planned to do when he finally moved out of the corner and passed by me, walking purposefully towards the counter.  
"Just a second." He said as he passed. I cocked an eyebrow and watched intently as he stood before Ahzrukhal.  
"You sold my contract?" He asked. Ahzrukhal paused before responding with a quiet,  
"Yes." Without a word, Charon reached behind him, removed the gun from his back, and shot Ahzrukhal's head off. Holy shit! I thought. Suddenly, I wasn't so sure about going through with ripping apart Charon's contract, which had been my original intent. The patrons in the bar jumped from their seats and rushed out, fearful of what the unpredictable ghoul may do next. I was pretty scared myself, but I held my ground. He saved me once, he wouldn't let that hard work go to waste by killing me now...I hoped.

Slowly, Charon replaced the gun on his back and walked behind the counter to crouch over Ahzrukhal's headless corpse. He rose and came over to where I stood, holding my pouch of caps. I held out my hand to stop his approach, staring up at him wide-eyed.  
"Do you do that to all your ex-owners?" Charon shrugged.  
"I hated him, and if given the chance, yes. I'd do the same to the others. Are you worried?" He asked flatly. I stopped myself from nodding like an idiot.  
"Uh, no. Not at all, but there is something I've got to do." I took and replaced the pouch of caps in my bag then held up the contract.  
"Gotta repay my debt!" With that, I tore the document into shreds, letting the pieces fall uselessly to the ground. Charon watched until the last piece hit the floor, then he spoke.  
"You didn't owe me any debt, I've never met you before." I blanched. Wait, what? Was this guy joking? Did he really think I was going to believe that?  
"Got amnesia? Or are you just trying to hide or something? Doesn't matter." I said patiently, scratching the back of my head. I'd never freed someone from a life of servitude before. What does one say? "You're free. So go off and be free and stuff, it was nice meeting you but I've got to run." I began to leave only to hear the sound of heavy foot-falls behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Charon right on my tail. I figured it must have happened that he was headed the same way as me so I continued on. 

For a city that had just witnessed a murder, the ghouls of Underworld recovered quite rapidly. It was as if nothing had even happened, everyone going about their business. Then again, I'm sure no one was really going to miss that jerk, maybe the city would be better off now. I walked all the way out of Underworld and made it halfway to the metro station before quickly turning back around to see Charon still close behind me. "What're you doing?" I asked, shrugging and shaking my head helplessly. He looked behind him, as if unsure of who I was speaking to.  
"Following you."  
"I can see that!" I said, placing my hands on my hips.  
"Didn't you see me tear up your contract?" He nodded, but didn't respond. "Sooo," I added, "I don't own you, you can do whatever you choose to now." He looked thoughtfully around him then back at me and said with certainty.  
"I choose to follow you." I hadn't expected that response. Why on earth would he want to do something like that? I wasn't really a person of interest. Although, I could think of a few advantages to having a giant ghoul following me around.  
"Why?" I asked, genuinely curious.  
"I want to understand why you did it." I cocked a brow at him.  
"Well, you know why. You saved my life in the tunnels to-"  
"You are mistaken," He interrupted, "I am not some hero. Trust me." I rolled my eyes, but his expression turned into something dark.I couldn't make sense of it.  
"Listen, pal you can deny all you'd like but you're the only big-ass ghoul with a broody demeanor I've seen all day. I dunno why you're denying it but I know what I saw." I began to walk away towards the tunnel entrance. Had to play it cool, after all, didn't want it to seem like I actually wanted him to come with me, even though I kind of did. I called over my shoulder, "Come on then, if you want. Might be nice having a travel buddy."


	4. Four

"It just doesn't make any sense." Charon said frowning, for what seemed like the hundredth time. We had been traveling almost the entire rest of the evening and well into the morning, stopping only briefly to get a few hours of sleep in an old gas station. Charon had insisted on staying up to keep guard, but afterwards I convinced him to take a quick nap while I watched over him. It was the first time I'd seen him relax, sort of. He slept rigidly, like he was prepared to jump into action at any moment. It made me wonder what his life had been like to make him the way he was. Now it was close to five, according to my pip-boy. It would get dark again soon, but we weren't far off from Megaton now. I grimaced, not at Charon's remark, I was getting used to it, but at the group of travelers further up the road I spotted heading our way. I'd met plenty of people on my way back and forth between Underworld and Megaton. It was true that not all of them were going to try to take your stuff, ALMOST all of them would. Instinctively, I reached for my pistol at my side only to find the holster where it once rested empty. I'd already forgotten to return to Tulip and get the damn thing back.

Oh well, it was useless anyway. Up ahead, the gang was getting closer. From this distance, I could see that there were four of them, all male. As they drew nearer, I also noticed none of them had taken a bath in quite a long time, as they were covered in dirt. Then again, almost everyone looked like that out here. There were options, of course, for bathing. If you were willing to risk the slight radiation in the common dirty water that was abundant in the wastes. I opted for this option; i hadn't grown a third arm yet so I figured it was good enough, as long as i didn't start drinking it. Charon drew the assault rifle from his back as he glowered menacingly at the approaching men.  
"Hey there!" One of them called out to us. I stopped walking, as did Charon. We allowed the group to close the rest of the distance until they stood only a few feet away. The man that had spoken was tall and lean with a sooty complexion and a wild tangle of hair that sat like a mop on top of his head. A thick black mustache covered his lips. He looked to me then Charon, who glared daggers at him. Oh, so charming. I knew he wouldn't play nice with others, so it was up to me to avoid an altercation.   
"Hello," I said, giving him and his companions a wide smile. Two of the men, dirtier than their leader and both bald, smiled back at me. The third man, younger looking than the rest with a pointy, yellow mohawk winked, licking his lips provocatively as he did so. Sickening, I thought, I tried my best not to tell Charon to shoot his head off his disgusting shoulders, or to chop it off myself.  
"Where are you and your," mop head looked at my companion again and seemed to grow uncomfortable, unsure of what to make of him. "Where are you headed, miss?" It was a strange question, one I wasn't sure i should answer. These guys didn't exactly look like friendly neighborhood gentlemen. Before I could say anything at all, Charon said icily,  
"None of your business." The man visibly started at hearing the ghoul's voice, and I had to keep from laughing out loud. Sure, Charon was big but, after finding out he didn't want to blow my brains out and how he'd willingly followed me out of Underworld: he was becoming a lot less scary. Mop head regained his composure, addressing me again as if Charon hadn't said a word.  
"It's going to get darker soon, bigger packs are safer. Maybe we are headed the same way?"  
"We aren't." Charon retorted. The man growled in irritation at Charon's second interruption.  
"How do you know?"  
"Because you were going the opposite direction as us." He had him there. Suddenly, I wasn't so sure about these travelers, though I should have known something was up from the start. Slowly, trying not to draw attention, I placed a hand on my sword hilt. The four men looked at one another, as if asking what they should do. Mop head finally spoke up, turning away from me as if the rest of the conversation didn't involve me at all. I didn't like where this was going.  
"Look, zombie. Just give us the girl and you can go. There's no reason for us to kill you."

Wait, what? Give us the girl? What four men could want from a girl really wasn't that hard to guess, and all at once I felt a wave of sickness hit me like a charging brahmin. Regardless of what Charon said, which I really hoped would be a simple 'no', there was no way I was going anywhere with these pigs. They'd have to kill me first.   
"Fat chance! You picked the wrong target boys!" I cried, whipping my sword from it's sheathe. The man didn't even glance at me.  
"She's not our first choice, but we ran out of the other ones so we work with what we find." What the hell was that supposed to mean? Was he calling me ugly?! Now we were just being childish...and what did he mean, they'd 'run out'? Like women were some sort of supply one could simply use up until they were gone?  
"You've taken women? What did you do to them?" I demanded, loud and angrily. He half-turned his face to look at me lewdly out of the corner of his eye.  
"Are you volunteering to find out?"  
"Touch me and you're dead!" I threatened, raising my sword between him and I. Mop head just laughed. All four men drew out pistols of their own.  
"It's your call, zombie. Die with her here or hand her over. Maybe she'll live out the day." My heart began racing. I was genuinely afraid to hear Charon's reply. Of course, I couldn't blame him if he decided to leave me behind. I couldn't ask him to risk his life for me. Either way, I feared this may be my final moments. There were too many for me to cut down with just a sword but I wasn't going to let them take me alive. There wasn't much else to do but look to Charon for his answer. He gave none, but the small motion of his finger slipping over the trigger of his rifle told me all I needed to know. My heart soared with relief.  
"Leave one alive." I whispered, smiling with grim satisfaction. I wasn't in the business of murdering people, but it was clear there was no other way out of this.  
"Last chance, man!" Mop head shouted out and we struck hard. I lunged forward, my sword slashing out at mop head's hand that held his weapon. He cried in pain as the gun was released from his grasp, falling uselessly to the floor along with a stream of his warm blood. Charon had already gunned two of his men down. The third was just about to raise his pistol for a shot when a bullet hole suddenly appeared in the middle of his forehead. Blood spurted forth from the wound as he fell dead. It was over so quickly I could hardly believe it'd happened at all. Mop head was on the ground, gripping tight to his bloodied hand. He glared up at me with hate-filled eyes. With a tremor in his voice, he spoke. "You crazy bitch!" I smiled serenely at him. If he thought I was crazy now, he was in for a surprise. I didn't care about his pain, I wanted him to suffer. He had to feel the same pain he'd made others feel. I paced around as Charon kept his gun trained on the man. It was amazing how well we'd worked together to dispatch the goons. Granted, he'd taken out three whereas I'd only managed to maim one. The point was, it had worked.  
"Where are they?" I demanded.  
"Why do you care?" He replied and I glared hard at him.  
"Why wouldn't I care about something so horrible?"  
"There's horrible shit happening all over the wastes, girl. You gonna fix them all with a sword and a pet ghoul?" I could try. If I didn't then who would? Were we all expected to shut our eyes to each other?

"It doesn't mean you have to add to it." I stated coldly. He rolled his eyes at me.  
"Well, I think you know what happened to them," I didn't respond, I just stared at him. He wasn't taking me seriously at all. It's as if this was just some joke to him, even when his buddies were laying dead next on the ground only a few inches away. "They're dead, you idiot! Every last one." I whitened. My stomach felt as if it had turned upside down as his words ricocheted around in my ears. I couldn't even speak. Words turned to venom in my throat, my sword began to tremble violently in my shaking hands, almost causing me to drop it. He killed them, he and his men tortured and murdered those women, who knows how many, and for what? For some cheap thrill?  
"Minx." Charon called in a warning tone, bringing me back to my senses. Of course they were dead. Why else would they have been out looking for replacements? I wondered how many women had this monster sacrificed for his own sick pleasure. I swallowed down my horror and asked him in a frigid voice,  
"What's your name?" He didn't answer, just rolled his eyes again like I was simply a nuisance.  
"Answer her." Charon growled, his gun still trained on our captives face. The man sobered up considerably at that.  
"Tom." He said, his misty brown eyes still fixed on me. He wasn't scared of me yet, but I would make him terrified. I smiled sweetly at him, catching him off guard.  
"Tom, I want you to do something for me," I crouched down so that my eyes could be leveled with his. "Look at me. Look in my eyes and see every single person you've ever harmed". He glowered at my dark blue orbs, but said nothing. "I'm going to make you feel pain. True, raw, unbridled pain. Just like all those people felt." He snorted, still not taking me seriously.  
"I ain't afraid of dying, and I sure as hell ain't afraid of you." I cocked my head and widened my eyes at him in mock astonishment.  
"Who said anything about dying?"

Then, I plunged my sword down hard between his legs. His ensuing shriek of agony was a good indication that I'd hit the mark. It was music to my ears. I even saw Charon cringe out of the corner of my eye as Tom toppled over into a fettle position, grasping at his bleeding manhood. As we watched Tom squirm, blood seeping through his tan trousers, Charon voiced what I was thinking.  
"Lot of blood. He could still die from that." I grimaced, but made no move to act. What did I care? If he died it would be no less than what he deserved.  
"Minx."  
"Okay, fine!" I conceded, pulling my pack from my back. I dug around until I found one of the small syringes filled with a greenish liquid. I didn't want to give the jerk any sort of comfort, which is exactly what the stim would do, but I couldn't just let him die either. Dead men didn't have a chance to learn their lesson, after all. If he lived through this, I doubted that any more women would fall prey to him. I settled for stabbing the thick needle unnecessarily hard into his leg before releasing its contents. Tom's whimpers of pain became less and less until the stimpack finished its work, though he still breathed in short, shallow gasps. "Deaths too good for someone like you." I told him as I re-shouldered my pack. We left him like that, laying in the middle of the road, gasping for breath. It wasn't much longer before we reached Megaton and Tom and his thugs would be a distant memory in the light of what awaited me there. Good riddance, I say. Let the Wastes have him.  
"He could still die out there." Charon stated, not sounding the least bit concerned. I shrugged.  
"That's on him now, whether he does or not. Not up to me, not my problem." He grunted, frowning up at the now starry sky.  
"Wasted supplies then, if you didn't care about him living. You don't make sense." Yea, I'd heard that a lot from him in the span of one day, he sure enjoyed saying it.   
"You know, I'm not much for making sense. I'm more about what I feel. Do what I 'feel' I should and to hell with sense, you know?" He shook his head slowly, looking down at me with an inquisitive expression. I smiled. "You'll get it eventually, if you stick around!" I could have sworn I saw the inkling of a smile cross his lips just for an instant. I liked that smile.  
"You hold my contract. I will stay." Again with this contract nonsense?  
"I thought I explained this to you already Charon. I tore that stupid thing up."  
"You paid for it." He retorted matter-of-factly and I laughed.  
"Uhh yea, right before you exploded Ahzrukhal's head and gave me it all back!" I threw my hands up to emphasize the word 'exploded'.  
"I don't know what it means to have no contract over me. So for now at least, you still own it." I groaned with frustration. What was the point in setting a slave free that wasn't willing to be released? Charon sure was stubborn as they come, but somehow he still managed to have a sort of charm about him.  
"Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad for it. If it wasn't for you being with me," I didn't need to finish the thought out loud for when he stopped to look down on me, I could see in his eyes that he understood. If I'd traveled to Megaton on my own like I had originally intended, I would of had to face Tom and his gang alone with only a sword to defend myself against them. So that was twice now that he saved my life. As if reading my thoughts, he said gruffly,  
"I'm not a hero, Minx. That is the truth." What was he talking about? He sounded sorry, as if apologizing for not being what I saw him to be in my mind.  
"Don't be silly you-"  
"Just...stop." He sounded almost defeated. There was something behind his words, a deeper, darker meaning that I would have to discover myself.


	5. Five

We made the rest of the trip in silence, reaching Megaton no more than a few hours after our encounter. My plan was to confront Moriarty after I spoke to Gob, just in case some unforeseen event led to me not being able to enter the saloon again. Depending on what Moriarty told me about my father would determine my next move. "You live here?" Charon asked, peering around the shabby town.  
"Well, its probably more accurate to say, I store my junk here. I have a house I sleep in on occasion, but I'm never here for a long period of time." We passed the old atom bomb in the center of town, Charon looking at it rather uneasily.  
"This doesn't worry you?" He asked pointedly.  
"Nah, it's harmless...now. I disarmed it." I replied.  
"You know how to disarm bombs?"  
"I suppose I do." He didn't looked pleased with my response. I only chuckled to see his face set into a deep frown. So maybe I only had a basic grasp of explosives, those books from the vault had taught me all i needed to know, obviously. When we entered the saloon, it was practically empty with only a handful of patrons sitting at small, ruined metal tables, drinking dark liquid out of their tall glasses. A man, dressed in a clean brown suit, sat in the far corner of the room, alone. His head lifted as we walked in. I couldn't see his face, for they were hidden behind a large pair of sunglasses. Indoors, and in the middle of the night, sunglasses hardly seemed necessary. When he noticed me looking back at him, he smiled and motioned for me to cone over to him. No, thank you. I ignored him and moved to a free stool seat at the counter where Gob stood, per usual.

Greeting him, I handed over the letter. Whatever it said, I could tell Gob didn't like it. He sighed, folding the paper and putting it into his pants pocket. "Thanks for bringing it. I wish I could repay you." He said pitifully, shrugging his shoulders. I waved the notion away.  
"We're friends, Gob. You don't owe me anything." He smiled shyly, then an idea popped in his head and he ducked beneath the counter, reappearing a moment later with two large glass cups.  
"He with you?" He asked, jerking his head towards Charon, who had taken up the seat next to me. I nodded and he placed both glasses down in front of us.  
"On the house." He said with a wink and he filled each glass to the top with clear liquid. I took up my own glass and gulped a bit down, the drink stinging my throat. I was never big on alcohol, though once the drink was settled, I felt the rush of pleasant warmth flow through me. Even a small amount of alcohol was enough to make me act like a fool, but it was called 'liquid courage' for a reason, right? I would definitely need some of that to face Moriarty. He was a sly one, and it wasn't like I could just hurt him, he was my dad's friend! Or...he seemed friendly enough when he talked about my father. I also wasn't in the business of going around beating people up. I suppose I could always get Charon to do it, I thought.  
"Appreciate it Gob."  
"Don't mention it. Like, to anyone. Moriarty'd skin me alive if he found out." I didn't doubt it. Moriarty was a jerk. I mean, what kind of person makes their 'friend's' daughter pay for information to find them? I took another drink. This time it was much easier to swallow since the sip before had made my mouth feel almost numb.  
"Speaking of which, where is he?" I asked. Gob motioned to the rear of the saloon.  
"Out back," he glanced at my companion. Charon was almost finished with his own glass. He was now staring intently at what remained. "still trying to get info on your dad? Is that what this guy is for?"

"Charon? Oh, no. He's-" I faltered, trying to think of what to call Charon, exactly. How do I explain mine and Charon's situation without just confusing people. After all, it was confusing to me!  
"..a friend. I met him in Underworld." I wasn't sure if Charon would agree with that or not. When I'd said it he glanced down at me almost nervously. Gob wheezed out a laugh.  
"You know, you make friends with us ghouls easier than you do with other smooth-skins."  
"I find that ghouls are more agreeable!" I stated cheerily, raising my glass to my lips and finishing off the last of the beverage with a few gulps. Both mine and Charon's glasses were empty. Gob gathered them back up, but instead of putting them away, he refilled them once more. I gave him a quizzical look, raising an eyebrow.  
"If you're planning on confronting Moriarty, a little extra courage could help." He reasoned, sliding the glasses back to us. Just a little more couldn't hurt, I thought. Charon and I finished our drinks and sat for a few more minutes, talking to Gob. Or rather, I was talking to Gob, Charon still just sat there looking like a child in time-out. He seemed to be directing his ire at me for some reason. I didn't have time to worry about it, I had to go see Moriarty now. I stumbled shakily to my feet, my legs feeling like jello. Charon caught me by one of my arms before I could topple forward.

"Are you alright?" He asked, examining me with an expression that I, for some reason, found quite amusing. I giggled at him, he was so over-protective.  
"Duh! Don't be silly! I'm fine." My voice sounded strangely high pitched even to my own ears. I forgot about it a moment later; however, when Charon began speaking angrily to Gob.  
"You gave her too much. Her body is too small to handle that." Gob raised his hands up in surrender.  
"Hey, I didn't know, she seemed fine to me!" Why was Charon so mad? I felt great! Better than great, I was ready to go talk to Moriarty right now and he was going to tell me everything I wanted to know, and for free! I tapped Charon on his arm and he looked down at me questioningly.  
"Don't be so meeeaaan Charon...and I'm not TOO small! You're just abnormally large so...so there. Anyone seems small to you." There, that ought to put him in his place. I pushed away from him and began moving towards the back door where I would find that stupid Irish or Scottish (or whatever the heck he was)- bastard but Charon's large frame moved into my path.  
"It's not a good idea now. Tomorrow." He said, as if that single word would end all of my plans for tonight. I glared up at him. Did he not understand how important this was to me? I didn't have time to argue with him. Even as we spoke, my father was getting further and further from me.  
"Charon, get out of my way, I own your contract! Remember?" his eyes softened. It was only for a second, but in that moment I could see so much even in my current condition. I'd hurt him. After all, hadn't I explained to him earlier this same day that this contract binding him no longer existed? He backed away from me his eyes once again as unreadable as they usually were. I sobered. "I didn't mean that." I really hadn't. I wasn't thinking straight, my mouth was saying things before my brain had a chance to filter it. Of course I didn't think I owned Charon in any way, but the damage had already been done.  
"I will wait." was all he said before moving away from me, taking up a seat back at the counter. A strange pang of fear assaulted me. What if he was gone when I returned? Fine, I survived this long on my own, I could continue to do so, I didn't need him. I sighed aloud. What was I thinking? Charon saved my life, the least I could do was treat him with respect. My mind was just wandering in circles, from being angry to feeling guilt and back again. Maybe Cahron was right, this wasn't a good time to confront Moriarty. My body, evidently, had another idea as it spun me around and walked out of the bar's back door.

 

Moriarty stood near the railing, smoking a cigarette. He turned around when he heard the door shutting behind me.  
"Why, if it ain't daddy's little girl, returned. Was wonderin' when you'd be coming back." I approached him slowly my heart now racing, half of my resolve melting without the hulking form of Charon at my side.  
"Drink? My fee hasn't been gettin' any cheaper. You kept me waiting, and its gonna cost you at least another 500 on top of what you already owe." He said, holding out a dark brown bottle to me. The smug look on his face filled me with irritation. I waved the bottle away. He was insane if he thought i was going to pay him fifteen hundred caps for this info.  
"Moriarty, I'm not going to pay you that, don't be insane, but-" he raised a hand to halt my speech.  
"Then I'm sorry, kid. I've got nothin' for ya." Just like that? He wasn't even going to let me finish my sentence before rejecting me? I felt wild anger heating my face. What kind of person does this? He would lose nothing by telling me, whereas and I could gain so much! I could finally have part of my life back, I could start again. Moriarty didn't care. He just wanted caps. I yanked the bottle from his grasp and threw it against the metal rafter at my feet and it shattered into a thousand tiny fragments of glass. What liquor had remained in the bottle splashed on to my jumpsuit, soaking me.  
"Why?!" I shouted, drawing the attention of several locals that milled about nearby on the lower levels of the rafters. I didn't care. I took a step towards him, nearly falling off balance as I did so.  
"You're sick, twisted. Is there not...," I paused, feeling a wave of dizziness hit me. I shook my head to rid myself of the feeling and continued, "a single ounce of compassion in your...damned body?" I stood there, breathing hard as he stared back at me, unimpressed by my display. He glanced at the shattered bottle at my feet.  
"I'll be addin' that to your tab, kid. You haven't been out here very long. This is the way things work. You help me, I help you. If ya ain't willin' to do that, then I've got nothing to give ya." I scowled at him and he smiled, like he was enjoying watching me suffer. That big, toothy grin was the last straw for me. The edges of my vision began to blur. It was difficult to say if my rage was my own or if it was just what the drink had induced, but i knew one thing for certain: I hated this man. Sober or drunk, it didn't matter. I'd kill him, or at least threaten to do so, if he didn't tell me. I grasped for the hilt of my sword only to find that the sheath was empty, my hand catching nothing but air.  
I gasped, panic griping me. Where could it be? Surely, I had it with me before, I never went anywhere without it! I frantically searched the ground around me, thinking that maybe, somehow, it had fallen from the sheath. Moriarty watched me stumble around, green eyes glaring. "Not that this hasn't been a pleasure, but I really must get goin'. Perhaps we can talk about what you owe me when you've sobered yourself up." He moved past me, glass crunching beneath his heavy brown boots. I didn't have the will to stop him. At that moment, I could feel nothing but hopelessness, like I was seeing my father fading before my eyes. I couldn't pay Moriarty, I couldn't threaten him, I didn't even have a chance at saving Gob too. My father would be lost to me forever. "Give your dear old dad my regards...if you ever manage to find him." Then he left me there. I fell to my knees, hopeless and too dizzy to remain standing. He would never tell me where my dad was unless I got him his caps, which he knew I didn't have and I knew I would never be able to pay him if he kept raising the price every day. There was nothing I could do about it. Even if I had my sword, which someone was going to pay dearly for stealing, I wouldn't have been able to kill him. I wasn't a murderer.

Suddenly, the door Moriarty had just left through flew open. Moriarty too went flying, straight out of the doorway. He landed hard on his back, inches away from where I knelt. Charon stood in frame of the door. Moriarty gasped for breath that had escaped him upon his impact.  
"You can tell her now, or I can make you do it." Charon commanded, his voice low and threatening.  
"Galaxy News Radio, he went to see Three Dog." I stared down at the prone man in astonishment. He wanted a thousand caps or more for THAT?   
"My dad?" I asked, daring to hope.  
"Yes," Moriarty said, still gasping, "now you and that damned ghoul, get the hell out of here!" I jumped to my feet and clasped my hands together, overwhelmed with joy, or maybe it was just the alcohol, or both, it didn't matter!  
"Thank you. Thank you soooo much."  
"Welcome," Moriarty spat, "now help-"  
"Not you!" I retorted, stepping around his writhing form and walking as steadily as possible to Charon. I tilted my head back to smile up at him. I had my lead at last. In no time, my father and I would be reunited.  
"You're the best." I said sleepily, feeling my legs turn to jelly beneath me, making it harder to stand. I wasn't quite finished yet, however. Moriarty and I still had some business to handle. "I want you to let Gob go." Moriarty chuckled.  
"How drunk are ya lass? Do ya really think I'd just let him go, easy as that?" I had gotten the information I needed for free, which meant I still had a thousand caps to my name, which should be plenty to buy Gobs freedom. Charon took a menacing step towards Moriarty before I stopped him, placing my hand against his chest.  
"I'll give you aaaall the caps I've got. A thousand even. And," I gave him a sly look, "I'll tell Charon not to break your legs."  
There wasn't much left to discuss on that note. He accepted the caps readily enough and just like that, Gob was free.  
"Just so you know, lass. It'd be best for both our healths if ya didn't come round the bar again." Were his parting words before Moriarty stumbled back into his bar.

An overwhelming sense of joy hit me. I leapt in the air and threw my arms around Charon.  
The action must have caught him off guard, for he stumbled backwards before regaining his footing.  
"We did it!" I cooed happily, swaying side to side. Then the next thing I knew, I wasn't standing at all. Charon was carrying me in his arms. I looked around to see where we were going, but everything was so dark and shaky, I couldn't focus my eyes on anything in particular. The only thing I could see clearly was Charon's face. He looked down at me, concerned. "Whatcha doin'?" I asked with a wide grin on my face.  
"Taking you home. Gob told me which house is yours." My grin disappeared.  
"You're not going to leave me there alone, are you? After how mean I was?" I pouted my bottom lip as I looked up at him imploringly. I didn't want him to go away. In such a short period of time that we had been together, I had come to rely on him.  
"I'll stay," he said simply, looking away from my pitiful expression, "if you stop that, Minx."  
"Sorry." I apologized. The night air whipped violently into me, chilling my liquor drenched clothing. I snuggled against his broad chest, sighing cozily as I did so. "My names not 'really' Minx, it's Lily." I whispered before the world around me swirled into blackness.


	6. Six

Jebs had been walking for so long and he was so very tired. He'd at last reached his destination, though: Megaton. The morning sun beat down on him, hot and unforgiving. He licked his dry, thin lips and moved sluggishly through the town. A local pointed out the house of the one called Minx to him and he grimaced at how far it was from his current position. Climbing the rusted metal ramps, he reminded himself of his reward and that got him moving more quickly. He had decided to go with one big pillow, bigger than him, instead of several small ones. Now THAT sounded cozy. It would be nice and warm, not too warm like it was beneath that sun. He reached the house of Minx and surveyed it with lazy eyes. He'd been told that she was here yesterday and likely stayed for the night, now he just had to wait for her to come out. Standing right in front of the door was a bit too obvious, he thought. He was an assassin! Only a sneak attack would do. He glanced around to see anything suitable for him to hide behind, but there was nothing but an old rusty table with a single chair. That wouldn't do. He pondered to himself. If he just had a single pillow, this would be much easier. As it was, pillows were the only thing he COULD think of. He had to try and clear his mind. If he could just find a crate to hide in or a cloth to put on the table and hide beneath that. Then he peered up at the roof of the small home. No...yes! He could hide on top of the tin roof then surprise her with an aerial attack! Jebs began his ascent to the top of the house. Thankfully, it wasn't a long fall down for he'd dozed off twice before reaching his destination and went plummeting to the hard metal floor below. If only he had a pillow with him to cushion the brutal fall, he thought wistfully. On his third try, he managed to swing a leg over and scramble onto the top of the roof. He perched uncomfortably on the triangularly slanted roof directly above the door and waited. He wondered how long it would take. The smooth-skin was probably in there, sleeping on some gigantic feathery softness. He scowled. Why couldn't he have a giant pillow? That little thing didn't need it all, she could share if she really wanted to. He imagined Minx sprawled out cozily on the big, white cloud, laughing and sticking out her tongue at Jebs as he tried to sleep on a bed of nails. His frown deepened. This girl was cold, he thought, she had to be stopped. Several minutes passed and Jebs could feel the weight of his eyelids bearing down on him. He tried to combat the sleep overtaking him, but it was too late. He fell dreamily into slumber, half his body on each side of the slanted rooftop.

\---------------------------

I awoke to the bright afternoon sun piercing through the windows, straight into my eyes. I opened them to find myself in my own bed within my own home, with only slight remembrances of the night before. My black jumpsuit with sticky from the booze that had dried on it and my belt was removed and sat folded neatly on the dresser across from me. I noticed that my sword sat there as well.  
"Charon." I muttered under my breath. So that's where it'd gone. I wondered how he'd managed to remove it without my notice.  
"Yes?" A familiar, deep voice cut through the afternoon silence. I started in surprise at hearing his close response. The jerking movement left my head pounding. Rubbing my temples, I looked to the source of the voice and found Charon leaning against the frame of the open door.  
"Don't do that! Sneaking around all quiet," I scolded, "could have given me a heart attack." He shrugged one shoulder.  
"I've been here the whole time." I blanched.  
"You've been standing there...since last night?" He nodded, as if that was a completely normal thing to do.  
"Didn't you sleep at all?"  
"A little."  
"That sleep you got was from right there, wasn't it?" I asked dryly. He nodded again and I grimaced. "Charon, no. Don't do that again. Next time go to sleep in a bed." I said as I got up. That caused another sharp pain in my skull. Perhaps the booze wasn't the best idea. Rather, I shouldn't have drank so much of it. He cocked a brow at me.  
"YOU were in the bed, and you were drunk." I turned away from him to secure my belt and sword in place around my waist, and also to hide the blush that stained my cheeks. How embarrassing is that? He probably thought I was a complete wreck after last night. Not the best way to make a first impression, Lily. Then, I realized I'd have to change out of this sticky mess before I left the house and promptly removed my gear.

"Spare bedroom, right across from this one. Did you not see it?"  
"I did." He replied. Once I ceased feeling the burning in my cheeks, I turned around to look at him, tapping my foot impatiently as I awaited an explanation. "You don't remember?" He asked. I didn't. The last thing I could recall was Charon carrying me back to my house, and even that was a blur of a memory at best. He briefed me on all that had went on last night, including the beat down on Moriarty and freeing Gob. "You said you thought I was going to leave after you fell asleep. You asked me not to, so I didn't."  
"Well I'm sure I didn't mean that you had to stay right there in front of me." I reasoned. He looked uncomfortable, then hurriedly replied,  
"I was worried. I wanted to make sure that you would be ok." I stared at him, not knowing what to say. 'Aww Charon, that's so sweet', was what went through my mind but there was no way I was saying that out loud. It turned out that I didn't have to think of anything at all to reply with, for at that moment, a knock sounded downstairs. Charon and I both tensed. He looked to me for an explanation and I shrugged in response. I never got visitors. The only explanation: Moriarty had sent us something in the form of payback, at least, that's what I was thinking. Charon started down the stairs first and I followed close behind him. When he answered the door, his frame was too large for me to see around or over. I settled for a small opening where his arm held the door aloft, bending down to peek through. It was the fancy dressed guy from the saloon. He was still wearing those shades which made it impossible to see his eyes. Charon must have disliked something about the man, I could almost feel the hostility radiating from him. Then again, Charon reacted to most people that way, but not me. That caused me to smile inwardly. It was nice being on his good side.

"Hello," the man said when it became apparent that Charon wasn't going to offer any sort of greeting himself. "My apologies for intruding, but I'm looking for the young woman who disarmed the bomb in the center of town." I grimaced. Honestly, you cut a few wires, get lucky that nothing explodes, and then suddenly everyone's treating you like some sort of superhero. I tapped Charon's arm, signalling to let me through. He moved hesitantly aside though he remained close, watching the man suspiciously.  
"I'm Minx. I disarmed the bomb," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "What do you need?" he smiled and tipped his brown hat to me.  
"Good afternoon, I am Mr Burke. My employer, Mr Tenpenny, has sent me here on his behalf to tell you he requests to see you. He has a proposition for you." The way he mentioned the name 'Tenpenny' made it sound like it was someone of extreme importance. I, personally, had no idea who he was. Mr. Burke explained. "He owns Tenpenny tower. It overlooks most of the wasteland. You can even see it from outside Megaton." I thought about it for a moment, then shrugged helplessly.  
"Guess I never paid much attention." He smiled and raised a hand.  
"That's alright, my dear. Just know that he is a wealthy man with many resources. He's willing to reward you greatly for your assistance." That was enough to pique my interest. Surely a man as influential as that would have no problem tracking down my dad, for I doubted he'd still be at this 'Galaxy News Radio' place, if he'd really gone there at all. Something about having to force Moriarty to tell me by throwing him through a door made me question the information's legitimacy, but it was all I had to go on for now.  
"Alright, Mr Burke. What could a guy like that possibly want from me? I'm no one special."  
"But you are," he insisted, "you are exactly who he needs. As for 'what' he needs, he'd like you to come to the tower and speak to him on the matter." I frowned.  
"So you don't know what he wants."  
"Its not my place to discuss it, but if I were you I'd go to see him at once; a task that should prove rather easy for your...particular talents." Great, so more bombs. At least that's what I was assuming this guy would want. I turned to see what Charon thought of all this.  
"I don't trust him." He said with his arms crossed, the hard muscles within them tightening. I looked up at him with large, disarming eyes.  
"Yea, but then again, who do you trust? I could find my dad and you," I paused. It occurred to me that I knew next to nothing about Charon. What did he want out of life? I didn't even know if 'Charon' was his real name. I made a mental note to find some answers. "you could have whatever you wanted." Whatever that may be. Charon looked away from me.  
"I don't know about that." What did he mean, I wondered. He glared over at Mr. Burke. "And if its a trap?" I doubted a man who never met me would go to the trouble of sending me an invitation to see him, just to have some sort of elaborate death sentence ready for me. Why invite me at all, if that was the case. Besides, I wasn't anyone of importance. None of those points were likely to convince Charon, however.  
"Well, I guess I'll have to trust you to protect me," I winked, "and you will have to trust me to protect you too." Charon opened his mouth to respond but was silenced by a loud crashing sound. Mr Burke jumped backwards and exclaimed.  
"What the-!" I moved out of the doorway to see a sun scorched ghoul laying in a daze on the side of my house. I looked up at the sky, bewildered, and saw nothing. I moved over to him. Charon came to my side, his eyes widening in surprise at seeing the ghoul.

"Charon, can you help him up?" I asked. He moved immediately to lift the ghoul from the ground and sat him down on a metal chair. The ghouls head moved around in a half circle, his eyelids drooping. I heard the distinct muttering of the word 'pillow'. Wait, I knew this guy! I remembered, I'd hit him with a door in Underworld. Poor thing couldn't catch a break. Charon was really looking at him now, I thought I saw recognition on his face as well. "What should we do?" I asked. Charon wasted no time, picking up the ghoul and tossing him over his shoulder.  
"We'll drop him off on the clinic then be on our way." He replied. What was with the sudden change of heart? Just a moment ago he was skeptical about the whole business now he was more than ready to leave.  
"Wonderful. Just look for the tower, you should be able to see it once you exit Megaton." Mr. Burke said before giving us a brief farewell and departing. We sat the ghoul down in a shaded area. I couldn't imagine where he'd even come from. There couldn't be much harm in leaving him alone for a few minutes, I really needed to get out of this sticky jumpsuit. We went back inside to gather a few things. Charon sat broodily at the window, staring at the passed out ghoul. He'd waited patiently while I prepared to depart, washing myself as best I could in the not so clean water the small tub the bathroom held and filling my pack with more stims, food, and purified water.

Eager to shed my sticky, black attire, I picked out a bright red and white jumpsuit with a long zipper that started just above the center of my chest, running down the middle to my waist. Ordinarily, I stuck to darker colors, and full bodied attire, easier to sneak around in, but today we'd be traveling in broad daylight. Tenpenny Tower wasn't too far off so we'd get there long before the sun started to set. Besides, it was the nicest thing I owned. When you're on your way to meet a man that owns his own tower, you should dress your best, right? Just in case, I packed a full black suit as well. When he'd first seen me in my daring attire, Charon had stared hard at me, his eyes widening, though his perma-frown still remained in place. Then he'd jerked his head away.  
"You look... nice." He said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. An uncontrollable grin spread across my face. Yes, the red one was a good choice. We headed out, dropping off the ghoul at the clinic. I left a few stimpacks as payment. It was all that I had now after all. Now that I knew what to look for, I could indeed see Tenpenny Tower rising high in the distance after exiting Megaton, though it was still sort of far off.  
"How did I never notice that?" I asked out loud. Charon didn't reply, he just continued to stare straight ahead as we walked. I quirked an eyebrow. "You going to pout the whole way?" That got his attention. He turned his head to me grumpily, his brown eyes dark.  
"You enjoy putting yourself in potentially dangerous situations." I rolled my eyes.  
"Oh, please. You've only known me for a few days!"  
"And already you've put yourself in a lot of unfavorable positions. A young, pretty, smooth-skin running in and out of the metro station to visit a city of ghouls?" My cheeks reddened. He thought I was pretty, did he? I shook off the school-girl giddiness and turned up my nose in defiance. He was trying to scold me after all, not compliment me.  
"You could be talking about anyone." Of course Charon was aware of my tunnel escapades, for he'd saved my life down there. I didn't mention that though, he still hadn't admitted it was really him. He shook his head.  
"No, there was only one of those, and it was you." By that, did he mean there was only one pretty one or only one smooth-skin? Why was I wondering that anyway? That alcohol must have still been in my system. Back on topic, most humans were afraid to go anywhere near a ghoul, much less a whole city of them. That was something I always had a hard time understanding. Humans could be much more frightening at times than even the most feral of ghouls.  
"Okay so what, I get in a lot of sticky situations. You have to admit, there's never a dull moment." I glanced back over to see a small, crooked smile playing on his lips. He looked kinda cute when he smiled, probably because he didn't seem to do it often. "So what about you?" I asked. His smile vanished.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well," I hesitated, now that I'd felt like I had broken away a small bit of his defenses, I worried that to say the wrong thing would mean reinforcing those defenses with a wall of steel. "I want to know more about you." I said slowly. He didn't protest, so I continued. "What did you do before all this?" He gave me a quizzical look.  
"I worked for Ahzrukhal." I rolled my eyes at him.  
"I meant before that." he glared out into the distance, his brow furrowing as he recollected.  
"I don't remember." That struck me as extremely odd. People don't just forget every detail of their life like that. Either he wasn't being honest, or there was something terribly wrong with him or his memory.

"You were with him that long?  
"I suppose so, Lily." His reply came in a huff, but that wasn't what caused my mouth to fall open.  
"What did you just call me?" I must have sounded alarmed, for his demeanor changed immediately to a more serious tone.  
"My apologies. When you...last night you said your name was Lily." I didn't remember saying such a thing. I didn't use my real name because I felt like really knowing someone gave you a power over them, and in the wasteland, that could be a death sentence. Hence the nickname 'Minx' being made. "I will pretend like that didn't happen." He said when I didn't respond.  
"No, no," I replied quickly. If I wanted Charon to open up to me more, I needed to open up to him too, it was only fair. "I like it when you call me by my real name. Just...keep it on the down low, will you?" We passed by a small shack on the side of the road. A man and a woman sat together, tinkering with a broken down model of 'Mr Gutsy'. They looked up at us as we walked by showing no sign of hostility, letting me know that they were simply scavengers. I kept an eye on them anyway until we reached a good distance from them, just in case. I noticed Charon had been watching them as well. "Whats the deal with this contract thing, then?" I asked. My guess was that he'd been a slave of some sort, but Ahzrukhal had informed me that wasn't the case. Maybe he was a mercenary, I don't know.  
"Simple," he replied, "I'm bound to the service of whoever holds my contract. That was Ahzrukhal. He was an asshole, but I had to do whatever he told me. Yea, until you blew his head off, I thought.  
"But what WAS the contract? Why did you have to obey?"  
"Because," he sighed impatiently, as if this was the most simple concept in the world and he was utterly baffled as to how I couldn't understand it. "The contract said whoever held it was in command of me. I had to obey." So orders from some random piece of paper told him to do something, and he just did it? For someone who was so set on making sense of me, he wasn't making much himself! How could you let a piece of paper dictate your life?  
"So what's it like now that the contract is destroyed?" I asked, and he shrugged in response.  
"It's strange. I don't need to obey you, but I do anyway because I...want to. Maybe there doesn't need to be a physical contract between us since you owned it last, its still valid." I smiled to myself, coming to my own conclusions as to why Charon followed me.  
"I don't think so," I replied, shaking my head. "I believe you ARE free to do what you want. Maybe it's just gratitude that makes you stay," I suggested. His mouth pulled into a thin line. "Or, or," I continued playfully. "Maybe you just like me!" He started at that, his eyes widening for a moment before he regained his composure.  
"I..uh. I don't understand what you mean by that, exactly." Before I could say anything in response, he pointed out the enormous structure that stood only a couple hundred yards away from us. Tenpenny Tower sat alone in the center of a vast sea of nothingness. It was as tall as the buildings I'd seen in the ruins of D.C. A thick, cement wall surrounded it, topped with barbed wire and sentry stations on every corner.  
"Well, isn't that fancy, but this location?" I glanced around me, mock-appraising the land. "Yikes. Probably hits the property value hard, huh?" Charon raised a brow at me, not even cracking a smile. "That was a joke, Charon."  
"Oh," he retorted flatly. "I didn't know it could be called a joke if it wasn't funny." My mouth fell open, how rude! I scoffed, then I noticed the wide grin set on his face.  
"Did you just make a joke at my expense?" I asked, laughing. His face reverted back to his usual serious expression, though I could still see a hint of playfulness in his eyes.  
"I'd never even dream of it."

We moved towards the gate that would grant us access to the tower. A ghoul was standing right outside it as we approached, shouting into a small, white intercom that hung on the wall near the iron gate. "You can tell Tenpenny to kiss my ass! Our caps are as good as any smooth-skins!" He barked out. A voice came through over the intercom then, sounding annoyed.  
"I told you before, Mr. Tenpenny doesn't allow ghouls in the tower! They're a danger to the residents!" The ghoul snorted loudly at that.  
"We ain't feral, can't you tell the difference?!"  
"No," the voice was quick to reply, "And I don't care. No. Zombies. Allowed." The ghouls red complexion became even more so, his fists clenching into tight balls at his sides.  
"You'll be sorry for this! Real sorry, all of you!" He spun away from the speaker. I caught his eye just before he passed by us, heading the opposite direction. I opened my mouth to speak but he beat me to it. "Out of my way smooth-skin, I got no problem with you." He spat then began muttering to himself as he continued to slink away. Now, at this point, most individuals would have simply turned and walked away, going about their business. Unfortunately, I was not one of those people. I followed him, despite Charon's sigh of disapproval.  
"We didn't come for this." He attempted futilely as I pursued the angry ghoul.  
"Hey, wait!" His head shot up and he spun around violently to face me.  
"Can't you take a hint? I said buzz off!" He was pretty short for a guy, hardly taller than me. This made it exceedingly difficult to take him seriously, ghoul or not. I ignored his hostility and smiled at him.  
"Hello, I was just curious what that was all about. You're not allowed in the tower at all?" His scowl deepened and he crossed his arms.  
"No. Because I'm a ghoul, and no-good bigots like Tenpenny hate ghouls." I considered my own meeting with Tenpenny that would be taking place today. I knew at least one ghoul would be allowed inside that building or I'd leave too. I wasn't going in there alone without my big, scary ghoul back up, rules be damned. He continued on in his rant, pointing his finger out at me threateningly. "You smooth-skins get to live in the lap of luxury while me and the others are stuck living like rats down in the tunnels." I saw Charon, from the corner of my eye, folding his arms over his chest and glowering down at the little ghoul. Sensing a potential loss of digits coming, I raised my hands in surrender.  
"Hey, not all of us live like that, I mean, I live in a shack!" He stopped his rantings and gave me a perplexed look. I went on quickly. "I think you should be allowed to live in the tower." The ghoul's hazel eyes lit up in surprise.  
"Really?" He asked, a bit of doubt in his tone.  
"Sure! Why not, right? I'd like to help you!" I heard Charon blow out a long breath of air then he began grumbling to himself. "Shush." I whispered, nudging his side. His counterpart, on the other hand, seemed ecstatic. "See here," I explained, "I've got a meeting with Mr. Tenpenny today. Maybe I can convince him to let you inside." His face fell immediately.  
"Ah, no good. I told you the guy hates ghouls." Then an idea must have popped into his head, for he continued on enthusiastically. "Hey you any good with locks? I've got this plan in the works, but I need someone on the inside to help me out." I eyed him suspiciously. Breaking into places wasn't exactly what I had in mind, besides, I was the worst locksmith I knew.   
"Locks? What do you mean." I questioned slowly and he grinned at me.  
"There's a door, guess it was used as an emergency escape area and it leads to the metro tunnels below!" Perhaps I was just being slow, but I really couldn't tell where he was going with this.  
"You want to sneak in? Don't mean to be rude but, I think they'll notice you." His face contorted into a hideous scowl.  
"What? You stupid or something? That's not what I meant at all!" Ouch, I'd never had anyone call me stupid before. Well, besides Butch, back in 101, but he was an idiot so he didn't really count. Charon growled and took a menacing step forward.  
"Watch your mouth. If you insult her again, I'll make sure it's the last thing you'll ever say." A ghoul after my own heart, this one. The smaller ghoul took a step back with widening eyes, he looked as if he was about to make a run for it. I tried my best to diffuse the situation, laughing as if what Charon had said was just some silly joke. I wrapped both of my arms around his massive forearm and he looked down at me with objection. I smiled.  
"Oh, you're so funny, Charon! Isn't he- uhh," Dammit, I always forgot to ask for names.  
"Roy." The small, terrified ghoul replied, not looking the least bit convinced by my acting. I released Charon from my grasp and sighed. Well, at least he'd be inclined to be a little nicer.  
"Okay, what was your plan again, Roy?" He hesitated, his eyes still focused on Charon.  
"Well, I want to unleash my feral brethren on them. Everyone inside will get torn to bits, then we can take the tower as our own." I paled. Mass murder was not what I'd had in mind. He continued rapidly. "You have no idea about the hell those bigots put us all through. They deserve to die!" Really, did anyone deserve such a gruesome end? I wasn't sure, but I didn't say so out loud. Roy's violent temper may just get his tongue ripped out if he wasn't careful. Allowing mass killings to happen wasn't really my forte, I was thinking a more subtle, less bloody approach was what we needed.  
"Look, Roy. This guy Tenpenny? He's got some big, important task for me and he's gonna owe me a lot of compensation, from what I understand. So, I'll talk to him and add 'let ghouls into Tenpenny Tower' on my list of payments. AFTER," I added with emphasis, "I get the information about my dad." This, I directed at Charon who was still staring daggers into poor Roy. Roy didn't respond immediately, mulling it over as he scratched his scabby chin.  
"Alright, smooth-skin. Do it your way," he reached out his hand to me. I clasped it and we shook. "Just don't forget, if it doesn't work out, just get that door opened for us. Maybe after some time in that tower, you'll realize only scum lives there." I smiled and reassured him that I'd keep it in mind. There was no way in heaven or hell that I'd really do it, but he didn't need to know that. I suppose Charon was right after all, I did love putting myself in potentially dangerous situations.

"Look, I'm not telling you this again! You're not getting in so get your zombie ass off of Mr. Tenpenny's property!" The intercom boomed as the sensor at the top blinked green when it detected mine and Charon's movement. What a charming fellow this guy was. I pressed my finger against the grimy black button with the words 'press to talk' above it and spoke.  
"Roy's gone already. I'm Minx and I'm here to see Mr. Tenpenny." There was a long pause, then the intercom buzzed again.  
"Oh, sorry about that. Those ghouls are a real pain in the ass sometimes. You said you're here to see Tenpenny? What was that name again?"  
"That's right. It's Minx. He should be expecting me." Immediately, the iron door began to creak slowly open. A dark-skinned man revealed himself, clad in army-green armor with a pistol strapped to his side. His at ease posture changed immediately upon seeing my companion.  
"Whoa, wait. Hold on a second," he knit his brow. "I made it pretty clear. There's not ghouls allowed." He demanded, pointing behind me at where Charon stood. I frowned.  
"He's with me."  
"Doesn't matter, the rules apply to everyone." The guard said, fingering the pistol at his side. I watched him intently, making no aggressive movement of my own and he faltered beneath my disarming gaze, removing his hand from his weapon. I smiled sweetly. Let's see how badly this Tenpenny fellow wanted to see me.  
"Well, I'm not going in without him, so I guess you will have the misfortune of telling Tenpenny that I will not, in fact, be meeting him. Such a shame too, he seemed to really need my services." I shrugged and turned to leave, motioning for Charon to come too when the guard called out to me.  
"Wait!" I paused, looking back at him with an inquisitive brow raised. Guess that was how badly: enough to break the rules. "You can bring him in, but if he causes any trouble, you're responsible." I agreed readily enough and he moved aside to let us pass. "And keep him away from the residents!" The grounds within the cement walls were covered with thick, grey stone tiles with large cracks running down the length of them. There were tall, potted plants that had somehow managed to maintain their healthy green shade, scattered around the yard. I spotted some of these 'residents' near the side of the building, sitting in fancy white lawn chairs while sipping wine out of little, clear glasses. They looked over in our direction and immediately seemed ill-at-ease. I couldn't help myself.  
"Don't worry," I called to the guard over my shoulder, being sure I was loud enough for the ritzy residents to hear. "He's already eaten today. They should be fine!" I giggled. Charon exhaled loudly as the residents frantically gathered their things and rushed into the building, probably running off to hide in their rooms beneath their beds. These people must have never even seen a ghoul that wasn't feral. This would prove to be quite the challenge after all.  
"Good luck getting ghouls in here now." Charon muttered.

The inside of the tower was massive. Doors lined both the first and second levels. A large elevator stood on the opposite wall from where we entered. There was a guard sitting behind an old, wooden desk in the middle of the room that directed us to the elevator which we rode to the penthouse. Another guard greeted us when the elevator doors opened.  
"Mr. Tenpenny isn't taking callers right now. He's given you access to one of the rooms to stay the night in." That wasn't part of my plan. I didn't have another full day to spare. My father could be anywhere by now and the trail was just getting colder.  
"I want to see him today." I replied, a bit irked. The man shook his head.  
"That wont be possible. I can show you to your room." He stepped passed us into the elevator, giving Charon a long, hard look before punching in for the second floor. I supposed there wasn't much point in protesting further. Besides, I kind of wanted to take a look around anyway and this would be my chance to convince the residents that's ghouls weren't dangerous monsters. As long as I could keep Charon from killing anyone. If this Tenpenny guy was as well-connected as everyone seemed to think, it may be worth the wait to see what he can do for me and my father. After the elevator stopped, the guard brought us down a hall lined with wooden doors. We stopped in front of one with a large potted plant beside it and the number nine painted on the wall. He handed me the key. "Someone will call on you tomorrow." He said and swiftly departed back into the elevator

The room we entered was huge and pristine. The hard-wood floor was covered with a beautiful red rug, embroidered with little white squares. In the middle of the rug sat a large, four-poster bed with thick, creamy sheets. Just one bed, huh? I couldn't help but remember this mornings episode with Charon. Perhaps this time I'd be the creepy one standing in the doorway after Charon's drunken escapades. Though, I doubted it. There were two dressers and one big, wooden wardrobe, which I was hoping held something that would fit Charon. We'd have the run of the place and I planned on speaking to many of the locals about allowing ghouls into the tower. I'm sure making Charon look presentable would help ease some of their worries. To the right of the bed was a door leading into a small bathroom. "Charon, have you ever had a makeover before?" He looked down at me with apprehension and replied slowly.  
"No. Should I be worried?"  
"No, no!" I assured him, "Well, if I find some scissors...hmm..maybe a little." I muttered beneath my breath. Charon could use a haircut, I mused, possible styles already popping into my head. Not all ghouls were bald. In fact, Charon had a decent amount of dark red hair topping his head, if a bit bedraggled.  
"I don't know about this. It all pretty unnecessary" He sounded nervous, that was new, but it was too late, I was already pulling him into the bathroom.  
"Don't be such a sour sport, Charon! This is for the good of ghoul-kind! Don't you want to end the oppression?"  
"No." He stated, refusing to budge. My brow furrowed.  
"Charon." I scolded and after a brief moment of defiance, he conceded and trotted, defeated, into the bathroom.


	7. Seven

"Don't forget under the fingernails!" I called from outside the closed bathroom door. "Get all of the dirt and make sure to wash that hair!" I snickered as I removed a pair of short, metallic scissors from my pocket and snipped at the air. I'd spooted them in one of the dressers while I was searching for something for him to wear. "Found 'em by the way!" I couldn't make out his grumbling response through the door. "What was that?" I snapped. A long silence ensued before he finally answered.  
"Nothing." The door knob began to turn and slowly creaked open. There stood Charon, sopping wet, water glistening off his bare chest. All that covered him was a beige colored towel wrapped tightly around his waist. I spun dramatically away from him, covering my reddening face with my hands.  
"Charon!" I hissed. "Where are your clothes?!" His answer came slow, like he had no idea what could possibly be wrong with me.  
"I thought you wanted me to wear what you found." I turned back to him, though my hands were still slapped over my eyes.  
"I could of brought them to you! You didn't have to come out here all naked!" It may have been embarrassing to admit, but I had never seen a member of the opposite sex even partly nude. I lived in a Vault for goodness sake! Not only was my selection very, VERY limited, but if you so much as sneezed, the entire vault would hear about it eventually. It was almost like moving to a new planet up here, the way things were done.  
"I am not naked," he retorted in a stern tone, then he paused before asking wryly, "Are you blushing?"  
"No!" I denied.  
"Yes you are." He laughed. Laughing; that was new. If I hadn't been in the middle of being completely mortified, I may have chalked that up as a small victory for myself. "Laugh it up!" I warned. "We'll see whose laughing in a moment." I removed my hands from my eyes, though I still avoided looking at Charon directly, and yanked over one of the white chairs that sat in front of a circular metal table. "Sit." I demanded as sternly as I could, forcing my eyes back upon him. He shrugged and did as I said, sliding into the seat. I moved behind him to examine the mess of his reddish-brown hair. Though it wasn't very thick, and there were discernible patches here and there, I was at least half sure I could work with it. "I hope I don't ruin it." I commented nervously, brushing through the hairs with my fingers. He started at my touch. "Oh, sorry. Is it tender?" He shook his head.  
"No. It's just...I'm fine." He replied. I wasn't sure if I'd really hurt him or not, so I continued to detangle his locks slowly and as carefully as I could. As I did so, my eyes drifted over him; his neck, shoulders, and bare back. The skin was rough looking, damaged and discolored; giving it the appearance of hundreds of different colored bruises all over its surface. I wondered if it ever brought him pain. I caught myself reaching out to touch him and jerked my hand away quickly before I came in contact.  
"Its okay." He encouraged, mistaking my delay for hesitation over his haircut. "You cant make me look any worse than I do now."  
"Huh?" I broke away from my trance, a bit irritated by his self-deprecating words. "Oh, don't be that way!" I scolded. "I'm going to make you look marvelous!" I declared, snapping my fingers.

I'd never cut any ones hair before, in fact, I couldn't even remember the last time I had my own hair cut but really, how hard could it be? Besides, Charon just needed a bit of rearranging more than anything so I wouldn't have to cut off too much. The hair was a bit too long for my own taste; maybe one or two inches off would do. I began to snip away carefully, doing my best to remain consistent with the length of the cut. What remained was overall quite short in length. I managed to work the hair around to cover what small patches there were, giving him the appearance of having a full head of hair. Then, I circled around to the front of him, touching up the hairs that rested on his forehead. I took a step back to examine my quick work and he waited expectantly.  
"Finished already?" He asked. I pressed a finger to my lips.  
"There wasn't much that needed done with it really, but I have to say, it made quite a difference!" It was true, his hair did look a lot better now. Though, in my opinion, it hadn't looked bad to start with. "But we can't be sure till you get dressed too!" I'd found a large pair of black pants and a red flannel shirt in one of the many dressers in the room, I could only hope he'd be able to fit in them. I retrieved the articles from the bed and handed the bundle over to him. He eyed the garments distastefully. "Well," I began. "It's either this or you go out there half-naked in a towel!" When I said it, I couldn't help but rove my eyes over his body once again. He caught my glance and seemed to actually consider that option for a brief moment, then he looked at me oddly, quirking an eyebrow.  
"Which is your preference?" I could feel that all-too-familiar burning return to my cheeks. I turned my gaze from him. He was just toying with me at this point. The only body I'd ever seen was my own! So, yea, I couldn't help myself from staring at his broad chest and his corded muscles. I mean, they don't teach you proper etiquette of these kind of situations where I come from! He chuckled, seeing my discomfort. "Sorry, I'm making a joke at your expense again." He said, taking the clothing from my hands and moving into the bathroom. I watched him move away from me, my eyes still glued to his bare flesh. "I appreciate your help, Lily." Then he closed the door. My entire body tingled at the way he'd said my name. A strange sensation, one I'd never felt before and wouldn't mind feeling once more. Was that wrong? Charon was a ghoul and I was human. Humans did NOT find ghouls appealing in any way. As Charon might say: it didn't make sense. If I were to say that part of me was in no way attracted to him, then I would be lying. Charon was right: I never was any good at making sense, was I? I needed to get a hold of myself before I said or did something stupid and ruined mine and his relationship. There was a knock at the door. Since Charon was still in the bathroom, I answered it. There was no one to be seen in the empty hall but on the floor was a folded sheet of paper. I snatched it up and took one last look around before shutting the door. It was a letter from Mr. Tenpenny himself, expressing his sincerest apologies about the delay in our meeting, yadda yadda yadda. Then there were a bunch of words that pretty much told me to make myself at home in the tower.  
"Don't mind if I do." I muttered, tossing the letter on one of the dressers. That had been the plan anyway; cozy up to the residents, make everyone all chummy with the ghoul crowd. It shouldn't be too hard. I was, after all, very persuasive. Charon reappeared from the bathroom then, his discomfort apparent. True, the shirt was a bit tight on him and the pants were a tad too short, but his boots would cover up that fact and the shirt extenuated his muscle. I didn't say that out loud, of course. All in all, he looked rather handsome. "Perfect!" I said cheerily, more than satisfied with my work. He chuckled awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck.  
"Yea, well. Try to avoid making any zombie jokes down there or all your hard work will probably be for nothing." 

Of course, I thought, the human-eating jokes would have to wait until after the residents agreed to letting ghouls into the tower. With his makeover complete, Charon and I headed out of the suite and into the elevator to the ground floor. I watched the slow-moving dial above the door creep towards the number one and inexplicably became rather nervous.  
"Maybe I should have changed, or brushed my hair or something, you're showing me up man!" I ran my fingers through my thick hair, trying to comb out the abundant tangles.  
"You look fine." Charon reassured me. Fine, is that all I get is a fine? I recall being more than that to him earlier this day! I scrutinized him, then my bravado fell significantly when his eyes met mine. I glanced away and twirled a lock of my hair nervously.  
"Earlier today, you said I was 'pretty', or, you gave a basic description of me and you used the word pretty..." I stumbled over my words like a baby learning to take its first steps. My face turned scarlet, a sensation I was getting used to.  
"Lily," he said softly, interrupting my ramblings and making me feel like I was about to melt like butter. "You are pretty, a ghoul is the last person you need telling you that." A ghoul was the only one to ever tell me that, actually. Besides my dad and, of course, the occasional pervert. Out all of them though, Charon saying it meant so much more to me and I didn't understand why. The dinging of the elevator and its opening door saved me from having to let Charon see my still burning cheeks and stupid grin that had spread over my face. He thought I was 'pretty' and that mattered! For some reason, it mattered a lot.  
"Let's start with one of the shop owners, maybe they sell food. I'm starving." Then a wry smile came to my lips. "And if none have food to sell, we'll eat the tastier looking one."  
"This is going to go well." He replied, his mouth forming into a line. I rolled my eyes and smiled. I just couldn't help myself sometimes. Maybe I liked seeing that super serious face he made. As we moved away from the elevator, half a dozen nervous eyes followed us from around the room. "No scowling." I reminded him as we turned down a small hallway. A sign hung on the right side of a doorway at the hallway's end. It read 'New Urban Apparel'. Obviously, there wasn't going to be any food in that place. I examined Charon carefully before heading in anyway. "Remember to turn that charm on!" I commanded, placing a dazzling smile on my face.  
"Charm?" He asked as we entered the shop. The room was scanty decorated with mannequins dressed in fancy suits and dresses. I examined my own garb in comparison, trying to imagine myself in one of those frilly white numbers. I'd have a heck of a time being stealthy in that thing. I couldn't help but wonder if Charon would like the way I looked in one better than my jumpsuits. I swatted the thought away as if it were an annoying gnat. "No one's here." Charon stated, bringing me back to reality. He was right, the place was empty.  
"Guess we missed him?" I replied.

"So, it's true," A slow, sultry voice said. I turned quickly to see a woman standing in the entrance. She wore a bright pink dress that cut off at her knees and white flats laced with black ribbons. Tousling her short, blonde hair around her head, not even sparing me a glance but instead, staring hard at Charon. "They actually let a ghoul in here." Then she looked at me. "And a little girl." I ignored her snide comment. Imagining myself snipping away at that pretty blonde hair, I smiled serenely at her. Killing with kindness was always my first approach.  
"You're one of the locals here?" I asked. She looked amused as she replied, crossing her arms.  
"Susan Lancaster. And who are you supposed to be?"  
"I'm Minx, and this," I pointed to the ghoul at my side, "is Charon."  
"Nice..to meet you." Charon added, offering his hand to her. Oh, nice touch, I thought. Susan made no move to shake it, however.  
"Ghouls aren't allowed in here." She accused, giving me a withering glare. If all the residents were as charmless as her, I could see why Roy didn't care for them. She didn't even know me and already, she was acting like she had some sort of personal problem with me.  
"Actually, I am hoping to change that. You know there's a group of ghouls that would really like to live here. I've met one, he's a nice guy." Did I really think Roy was a nice guy? Not really, he was kind of a dick, but that didn't really mean he wasn't nice deep down. In my eyes, Besides, maybe the other ghouls made up for Roy's short comings. I thought what I'd said was thought-provoking, that it would elicit some sort of opening for negotiation.  
"Not happening." Susan stated matter-of-factually. Evidently, I had thought wrong. "You should get your pet out of here before things get ugly." My mouth flattened into a thin line. Charon caught my attention from the corner of my eye, I could see his almost imperceptible shake of his head. 'Don't', he was trying to say, but it was too late. First, she calls me a little girl, which already puts her on my bad side. We were obviously close to the same age so it was meant as an insult of a sort. Now she was just being flat out rude to Charon, I couldn't abide by that. Especially after he'd been so nice, he didn't even try to shoot her!  
"Things cant get much uglier from where I'm standing." I retorted and Charon winced.  
"You calling me ugly?" Her ensuing laugh sounded like the chiming of bells. "I got a bag full of bottle caps that says otherwise." She actually looked proud of the declaration. "The only way you'll ever be successful like me is to get rid of all those ghouls once and for all instead of playing buddy-buddy with them. But you won't, because you're just a scared little girl." She mocked. I rolled my eyes at her attempt to get a rise out of me. Prostitutes didn't intimidate me. I had a fine time at making caps without removing my clothes, and ghouls had nothing to do with it.

"Hey, ghouls aren't so bad and Charon's my friend. I'd choose him over a dozen humans." Charon looked pleased by that. Susan sneered, her disapproval practically radiating from her. I doubted that she'd ever agree to letting ghouls in the tower. I suppose I really needed to work on my manners, I was getting nowhere fast with this one.  
"Hello? Are you forgetting, you're human too? Ugh." She made a disgusted face as she looked me up and down. "I don't even want to think about what you and that 'thing' do together." Oh, nothing too strange, I thought. Play dress up, get assaulted by rapists, the same thing as everyone else I supposed, but I understood what she meant by that. I didn't have time to be embarrassed about it.  
"Then again," she brought a finger to her pink lips, "with looks like those, it's no wonder only a ghoul wants you." What? That was two people in the span of 48 hours that had called me ugly! If this kept up I'd have no choice but to believe it. Then again, who could take the words of a rapist and a slut seriously? I was about to reply with my own insult but Charon spoke up first.  
"The only men that want you are the ones desperate enough to have to pay." He pointed out. Ouch, I was feeling the residual burn from that one, but if it had offended Susan, she hid it well.  
"They can't help but pay, any man would." She tittered, using the palm of her hand to gesture down her slim figure. I blew out a huff of air.  
"We're getting a little off topic here," I said impatiently. I was ready to be rid of her. She was beginning to make me physically ill. "We just wanted to inform you that you'll have some ghoul neighbors moving in soon. I brought Charon so you could all get used to them and see that they aren't dangerous." I know it wasn't a guaranteed thing until I talked to Tenpenny, but maybe if it sounded like a done deal, she would have no choice but to be more open to it. She wrinkled her nose.  
"Yea, right. I'm friendly with every guard in this building, sweetie." She said the word like I was, in fact, the furthest thing from sweet. I personally don't think I'd be bragging about sleeping with every guard in the building, but that was just me.  
"If I say I don't want any dirty ghouls here, there won't be any." I glanced at Charon, and his fresh clothes and his neatly brushed hair. What was so dirty about him? "So I guess you and your creepy boyfriend will have to find somewhere else to live." She burst into laughter, tossing her blonde hair aside and strutting away. That effectively ended all discussion. My face reddened, boyfriend?

"Is that really how it seems?" I asked Charon, mortified. He was staring down at the floor where Susan had been standing as he replied.  
"I thought I gave off more of a threatening vibe, but creepy?" He shrugged and walked over to where he'd been looking. I blew out a long sigh. Always so stubborn, this one.  
"Not what I meant and you know it!" I followed his movement with my eyes. He bent down to retrieve a folded sheet of paper that had fallen on the ground and began to read it. His brows rose as he went on scanning.  
"Interesting," he mused, refolding the mysterious paper then gazing at me. "I do know. I'm wondering why you care what that woman says."  
"I don't!" I argued defensively. "Just wanted to know what you thought about it." I explained, my eyes drifting down to that paper he held. Had Susan dropped it by mistake? I wondered what could be written on it. Obviously, it wasn't a list of how many men she had slept with for caps, it wasn't big enough to fit all those names. I snickered to myself. I'd have to remember that one for later if the opportunity arose to use it.  
"You already know what I think of it." Charon said, staring at me meaningfully. My heart accelerated in my chest. So loud, I was certain he could hear it too and the thought only caused my cheeks to flush. I knew already, what was that supposed to mean? I had no idea what he was thinking, I wasn't a damn mind reader! I mean, he had told me I was pretty, did that have something to do with it? Man, I was bad at this.  
"I-I don't know, you said nothing about it." I stammered. His head fell to one side and then he stepped closer to me. My eyes began to widen as he drew near. About a foot away from me, he stopped, lifting a brow, he responded.  
"Exactly, and that's what I think about it. Nothing." My heart deflated.  
"Oh." I replied with a frown. He looked confused.  
"Well." He continued, scratching the back of his head, "I think that you should read this." Maybe I was a little disappointed in his response. I wasn't sure what I'd been hoping for, exactly. It was apparent that I'd developed a bit of a crush on him, but he had saved my life! Pretty sure that warranted me to have a few feelings for the guy, right? I took the paper he offered me, not really interested in its contents anymore. That is, until I started to read the letter itself:

 

'My Dearest Susan, I can't believe I'm really doing this, but I can't deny it any longer. You are all that I can think about, even when I'm with Millicent. God, I am in love with you both, I truly am! I can't wait to see you again tonight, for this time it will be different. This time you'll know my feelings. You'll know that I love you! I need you, now! Yours forever, EW.'

 

I made a gagging sound. "Uck! What a pig! E.W. huh? Millicent is his wife, I bet. How charming!" I said sarcastically and Charon nodded.  
"We could use this. How we do it is up to you though." Use it? I had planned on handing it over to this guy's wife and enjoy watching her using her fists to pummel his face. Then again, when I considered what Charon had said, I saw the potential. He always did have better ideas.  
"Blackmail?" I asked, grinning wickedly. He shrugged.  
"Just a thought."  
"A clever one." I replied. I doubted Susan would care much if this love affair was exposed. She seemed to readily spout off her other sexual encounters without any provocation. Mr. EW; however, could prove to be a rather different story. Our next stop would be his room. The second floor of Tenpenny Tower was where the majority of the suites were located as well as our own, so it should be easy enough to find. We headed that way immediately. Lush, red carpets ran down the length of the halls of the second floor, and paintings of pre-war landscape covered the walls. Each door which led to a suite had a small, metal mailbox in a planter filled with dirt placed in front of it. The room numbers were all written above the doors, but a number didn't really help. We stopped a guard to ask for some kind of direction, then headed to the door he pointed us to. I had explained to Charon on our way up that I wanted him to wait out of sight until I had a chance to introduce him this time. I didn't think I could handle another incident like Susan. Charon hated the idea, but agreed to go along with it under one condition.  
"Do NOT do anything with that letter until I'm there with you." He commanded. I laughed.  
"What? It's not like they'll kill me over it." Charon didn't smile.  
"Maybe this is a bad idea."  
"Shush, Ill be fine," I insisted, slapping his forearm. "Ill call you when I'm ready for you...or dying. Ill call you if I'm dying too." I teased, though I didn't give him a chance to object. Pushing him behind a corner so he was out of sight, I approach the door and knocked. I could hear the sound of the latch undoing, then the door opened to reveal a pretty, middle-aged woman with wavy brown hair. "Hello there," I said, bowing my head in greeting. "Are you.." I glanced around her, but I could see no one else in the room. Well she wasn't who I had been expecting to speak with. "Millicent?" She smiled at me then nodded.  
"I am, but you can refer to me as madam or, my lady Wellington." What, was she the queen of Tenpenny Tower or something? Was I also expected to kneel before her and kiss her royal hand? I had to remind myself that I was trying to get on her good side. I mean, her husband was cheating on her, after all. I should be feeling some sort of sympathy for her. So, I swallowed my pride and bowed my head to her once again.  
"Pleased...to meet you, my lady Wellington." I forced out the words. She looked utterly delighted, like I was her pet, performing her given task without fail.  
"Wonderful!" She beamed. "It's so nice to see that being a wasteland mutt hasn't spoiled your manners dearest!" My mouth fell open. Wasteland mutt; is that what she had called me? After I had called HER my lady Wellington? No wonder her husband was cheating on her, she was obviously full of herself. I forced a laugh.  
"Right. Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about these ghouls that want to move into the tower." Mrs Wellington's face lit up with dreadful excitement.  
"It's just awful! Those horrid creatures just wont leave us alone!" Oh, not again, I thought. There were likely at least a few residents who weren't against ghouls, right? Why couldn't I run into them instead of lady Wellington?

"Well," I said slowly, "these ghouls aren't so bad. I talked to one of them and also, my friend-" she cut me off, her face horror stricken.  
"You SPOKE to one of them? My dear, they are monsters! They need to be gotten rid of, not reasoned with!" I listened to her rant, my mouth pressed in a thin line. "My husband, Edgar Wellington, introduced me to all the finer things life has to offer and there are no ghouls in that life." She raised her head regally, as if even the idea of this conversation continuing was beneath her. Why did I ever think I could be nice? Maybe from now on I should try a rude approach and see where that gets me.  
"Oh, I get it," I muttered, "so your husband made you the pretentious bitch you are today." Her eyes widened in shock.  
"Excuse me?" Really, was everyone in this tower a jerk? Why was she acting so shocked at my hostility, it had obviously been provoked by her demeaning words. As if dealing with all these people wasn't enough, a new dilemma seized me.  
"Look, lady full-of-herself. Lets keep this short, ghouls are moving in, its gonna happening so do everyone a favor and get used to it! Also, can you point me to the nearest restroom?!" I had to pee. It was an emergency. We hadn't eaten anything on our way to the tower and I'd been drinking more than my fair share of the water. The feeling was rather sudden and I don't think Mrs. Wellington understood that because she stared at me like I was insane, her mouth falling open. "Hello? If you don't tell me, I'm sorry, but I'll have to use this flower pot, which I really don't want to do."  
"You disgusting brute!" She shrieked, not answering my question at all! Instead, she slammed the door in my face.  
"Ugh, Charon!" I shouted and he appeared at my side as if by magic. His assault rifle was ready in his hands. "Put that thing away! We've got bigger problems than her." He looked perplexed, but obeyed my command.  
"What's wrong?" He asked. I crossed my legs together tightly.  
"Find a bathroom, will you?" I sounded desperate, I WAS desperate. Charon furrowed his brow.  
"That's your big problem?" Then he chuckled and shook his head. I glared daggers at him. I wondered how funny he would think it was when he had to travel around with a companion that smelled like pee. "Come on then, it's back on the first floor. I saw one after we left that store." I thought I'd been in horrible situations before, but nothing could beat the misery I felt going down that painfully slow elevator with a bladder that was ready to burst and a mountain of a ghoul chuckling to himself the entire way down.  
"Yea, yea." I muttered, "laugh it up." When the dinging of the elevator finally sounded and the doors opened wide, I latched on to Charon's arm and ran to my salvation. We reached the pair of doors that stood just to the right of the hall in which the clothing store was located. Each door held a rectangular sign with bold, black text. One read 'men's' the other, 'women's'. I, of course, headed for the door marked as the women's restroom. However, the distinct sound of heavy foot-falls behind me made me pause. I turned to see Charon right on my heels, ready to accompany me. "What are you doing?" I asked, perplexed. "You can't come in here, it's the ladies room!" I eyed him from head to toe. "And you're no lady!" He grimaced.  
"I cant leave you alone for five seconds without you getting into trouble." Though that point may have been valid, I waved him away.  
"Oh please, its a restroom. I promise I won't fall in." I didn't wait for him to reply, I didn't think I'd be able to hold it that much longer. The washroom was comprised of three stalls, three sinks straight across from them, and a small window close to the ceiling. I dashed in to the first stall to quickly relieve myself then moved to the sink to wash my hands.

So far, things hadn't been going the way I'd planned. It didn't seem like anyone was going to like Charon, regardless of how made up he was. It was a bit of a disappointment to me, I had hoped for someone to see the good in him. After all, I could see it. Something I 'COULDN'T see was my own reflection. The mirror that hung on the wall in front of me was so grimy I could not see a thing in it. Thick, greenish-grey goo covered its surface. "Ugh, sick." I muttered to myself, grabbing one of the white towels that sat on the sinks edge to wipe away the muck. "What is this stuff?!" Whatever it was, it didn't want to come off easily. I scrubbed as hard as I could, the slick muck just smudging around more than anything. The quiet squeak of an opening stall sounded in my ear and I stalled my scrubbing, quietly setting down the towel. Enough of the grime had been removed for me to see a distinct figure coming out of one of the stalls. Slight of build and average height, it was obviously not Charon. I felt my heart rate increase in my chest. I wouldn't have found it so strange if the room hadn't been utterly silent when I entered. That, and the way they slowly approached me, thinking I hadn't noticed them. I pretended to wipe my hands clean with another one of the hand towels as I watched the figure's approach through half closed eyes. The stranger was holding something shiny that glittered in the mirror from the reflection of the sun through the window; a blade. Why did Charon always have to be right?

Suddenly, the figure lunged towards me. I gasped, then dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the slicing blade as my attacker crashed into the sink. I spun around to face a man dressed in all black. He'd also recovered and was facing me, the knife in his hands pointed at me. "Cant you read?" I demanded. "This is the women's restroom!" He didn't respond. Instead, he began his assault again, slashing the knife horizontally at my stomach. I shuffled back quickly to dodge the blow. My heel must've caught on something on the floor, sending me falling to the ground. I landed hard on my tail bone, a grunt escaping my throat. The man stood over me, a crooked smile playing on thin, pale lips.  
"Talon Company would like to send its regards." I screwed up my face in confusion; who the heck was Talon Company? I swung around, my leg extended and smacking hard into him, sending him to the ground as well. The knife flew from his hand and skittered across the floor, stopping in front of the stalls. The both of us stumbled to our feet. I was a second faster than him, which was all I needed. I hurled my fist into the side of his head, sending him back to the ground. My hand throbbed with the pain of the impact. I shook it vigorously as I stepped over to the fallen dagger on the floor and retrieved it. My attacker was still on the ground, holding on to the side of his face.  
"Alright," I began, a little breathlessly, one hand on the hilt of my sword. "Now that all of that is out of the way. Care to tell me what the hell your problem is?" He laughed bitterly as he rolled back to his feet then his hand slipped behind his back and a pistol appeared, the barrel aimed at me. My blood chilled in my veins. My limbs would no longer respond to my commands, my entire body freezing on the spot. There was no way I could disarm him faster than he could pull that trigger. "Charon!" I screamed, the only thing I could do. The name must have caught the man off-guard, for he paused, looking at me in confusion just long enough for Charon to burst through the door, gun in hand. The distinct look of recognition on his face sent a wave of apprehension rolling down my spine. The two stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Charon's face twisted with rage, then he fired on the man. I shrieked and covered my eyes as he let out one final shout of protest. After the firing ceased, I still couldn't bring myself to remove my hands from my face. There had been so much death these past few days. Was this ever going to stop? When I finally did open my eyes, Charon was at my side.

"Are you okay?" He asked, checking me over for any sign of injury.  
"I'm okay." I said slowly, gazing up at the man who'd saved me yet again.  
"There could be more of them. We need to move." More of them? How could he know that? He glanced over one of his shoulders. "I'm not letting you out of my sight again." He was hiding something from me, or at least, it really seemed that way. Then again, he'd just saved my life a third time, I had to be able to trust him more than anyone else, at least. I reached out to wrap my arms around his waist. The act must have surprised him, for I could feel him start at my closeness.  
"Thank you. You really are my savior." I whispered. There was a feeling of dread within me. If he hadn't been here, I'd be dead. More than that, this Talon Company had sent someone to murder me, why? Was I really so important? My questions were only leading me to more questions. Charon was the only thing I could count on. He sighed heavily.  
"Lily." He began but I stopped him.  
"Don't tell me you're not a hero again."  
"I'm not." I was beginning to get a little frustrated with his denials.  
"Why are you fighting me so hard on this?" I asked, my voice raising.  
"Because." He replied, avoiding my gaze. I grabbed the sides of his head and forced him to look at me. Enough evasions, I wanted to know what he was hiding.  
"Because? Because why, Charon?"  
"Because I'm the reason you're in danger in the first place!" He spat, the anger in his voice was unlike anything I'd heard before. My hands fell from his face. My irritation replace by confusion.  
"What? What are saying?" His expression softened. His hand rose slowly, brushing away the stray hair that had fallen in front of my face.  
"Back in the tunnels...where we first met. I was sent down there to kill you."


	8. Eight

Jebs wasn't sure how he'd ended up in the Megaton clinic, but he didn't have the time to figure it out. Minx had somehow evaded him once again. After asking around for her location, he finally found someone who knew the answer. A man in a brown hat and shades told him they were headed for Tenpenny Tower. Now Jebs was standing outside the towers walls, listening to a man shout at him through an intercom.  
"Are you deaf? I said you're not getting in! No. Ghouls. Allowed!" Jebs scowled and stuck out his tongue at the device before shambling away. This Minx was obviously onto him, he would have to be more cunning from now on. If he couldn't get in to the tower, he would simply have to wait for her to come out. He feared falling asleep once again would ruin his plans, already he could feel the drowsiness setting in. He considered his options. Who knew how long it would take for his target to show herself. He needed a way to keep her in one place, so that if he were to fall asleep, he could awaken to find her trapped. An idea struck him and he snapped his fingers. He could dig a hole. It'd have to be pretty deep to keep her in...but if he started right away he could be done before nightfall, he hoped. He found the perfect spot in the middle of the dirt road leading back towards Megaton and began his arduous task. 

\------------------------------------------------------------

We returned to our room after informing the guards about what happened. They seemed to be at an utter loss as to how the assassin had managed to get in to the tower in the first place and apologized multiple times for the incident. I sat down on the large bed. Charon and I hadn't spoken directly since his revelation. He stood on the opposite side of the room, as far from me as he could be. I still wasn't sure what I was feeling. I was angry, confused and sad, it was all just too much to process. Charon was going to kill me in the metro tunnel! Just thinking it sent a wave of nausea through me. For some reason though, he hadn't. "Why didn't you do it?" I asked, my voice a bit shaky. Did I really want to hear the answer? Charon stared at me, his face full of pain.  
"I didn't want to." He replied simply.  
"But someone told you to. Your contract..you said you have to obey no matter what."  
"You're right. Until that day, I could never disobey an order, but killing you?" Charon shrugged helplessly. "I couldn't."  
We continued to gaze upon each other for a long time, not really knowing what to say next. I had been hoping for a longer explanation than that but it was Charon, after all.  
A heavy sigh escaped me. I wanted to trust him. After everything we had been through, I couldn't truly believe he would hurt me. As of right now, he was all I had. If he wanted to kill me, he could have done it several times over already. Though I wish he would have told me my life was in danger 'before' someone tried to kill me, the fact still remained that he was the one who'd saved me. It did make me wonder though, was he here with me now just because of his own guilt? I thought that maybe there had been more too it than that. I had hoped for something much more.  
"So what happens now?" I still couldn't control the resentful tone in my voice as I spoke. "I can't expect you to want to be shackled to me forever. As far as I'm concerned, whatever debt you owed me is paid. You could go."  
"Is that what you want?" He asked softly. The question caught me off guard. Charon had been my light in this dark and dangerous world, and more than that, I had begun to feel like there could be more to it than just some partnership. Perhaps that was just my own wishful thinking. "No." I whispered, more to myself than to him. He moved to sit beside me on the bed.  
"Lily, I want to stay with you. That is the whole truth." Could I trust him? I wanted to, very badly. The look in his eyes seemed so sincere. "You're a strange person." He said contemplatively. I tilted my head up to look at him.  
"How so?" I asked. His shoulders slumped with his heavy sigh.  
"I don't know. You're selfless, I guess that'd be the right word for it." He laid back, folding his arms behind his head and gazed up at the yellowish-white ceiling. I joined him. "You may have found your dad already if you didn't stop to help everyone. To help me. It just doesn't make sense." There he goes again, I thought. Trying to make sense of what I do, sometimes I didn't even understand myself.  
"Do you want to know what is strange to me?" Turning on my side, I propped my head up on my elbow to gaze down at him. "When someone does something bad, most people don't even question it, they aren't even surprised! But when a person does good, there's no end to the questions." It was the sad fact. In the wasteland, if you were just trying to be good, to do good, there would be more people suspicious of you than of a murderer. You couldn't just perform an act of kindness without someone thinking you had some sort of ulterior motive behind it. Then again, isn't that exactly what I was doing to Charon?

"You're just a good person, Lily. There's no question in my mind. It's one of the things I like about you." I felt myself smile at his words as he turned his head to regard me, his deep brown eyes intense. One of his hands reached out to caress my cheek gently. My breath caught as his fingers glided over my skin and moved around to the back of my neck. His touch was so soft, so sweet, you'd never guess what he was actually capable of with those hands. My heart accelerated as he slowly drew me down to him. I didn't resist him, my entire body tingling, eyes locked on to his. My lips were inches from his lips, then he paused. "Do you hear that?" He whispered. Though slightly irked by the interruption, I strained my ears to listen, then jolted upright when I realized just what I was hearing. Seriously, how thin were these walls? Jumping to my feet, the tender moment gone completely, I approached the far wall where the sound was coming from. A low, continuous moaning sound pierced my virgin ears. I blanched, my horrified expression falling on Charon who had also risen, but remained sitting on the edge of the bed, looking equally discomforted. The moaning became louder and louder until I was certain everyone on the second floor could hear, then all together it died away. I had hoped that the first sounds of love making that I would hear would be my own and my partners, but those hopes had officially been shattered. Oh, cruel fate.  
A winded voice began to speak and I pressed my ear against the wall to listen closely. "Oh Susan. I love you, truly I do. Can you not believe it now?" My jaw dropped.  
"It's the cheater!" I mouthed the words to Charon, waving him over. He gave me a disapproving look, which I took as a 'don't be nosy' sort of look, but he came over anyway. I mean, they weren't worried about anyone snooping when they were penetrating my ear holes with their sexual fervor, so I was pretty sure all rights to their privacy had been forfeited.  
"Sure," the sultry voice of Susan Lancaster said, "and as long as you keep the caps flowing, I'll love you too sweetie." I wrinkled my nose. How could anyone find that appealing, I wondered.  
"My wife is getting suspicious." Mr. Wellington said, his nerves showing even through this wall. "You should have seen the way she looked at me before she went to bed. I thought she was going to kill me!" Susan's bell chime laughter vibrated off the walls.  
"Millicent? She's the last person you should worry about. You just-"

Her words were cut off by the sound of a door being violently slammed open. The impact shook our conjoined wall, causing me to jump in surprise. Both Mr. Wellington and Susan cried out in alarm as an enraged voice shrieked at them.  
"You broke your sacred vow!" My eyes widened as I realized that the angry voice belonged to Millicent herself! Charon shot me an accusing look and I raised my hands and shook my head.  
"Wasn't me!" I frantically searched my person but couldn't find what I was looking for. Rushing back to the bed where I'd left my pack, I checked for the note to Susan. There was no note to be found. Uh oh, I thought, dumping out the contents of my bag. Although I had left it in the room when we went out, that didn't stop my fingers from clumsily moving through the mess of stims, water, and assorted snacks I had packed in the bag. I even went as far as to shake out my spare jumpsuit to see if maybe it'd made its way in there. Millicent continued to rage so loudly that I didn't even need to return to the wall to hear her clearly.  
"I wanted to see if you would really do this, to come see her just like the letter said." I winced, peeking over to see Charon, his arms folded, staring at me with a bemused expression. I don't care what he said or thought about it, but that letter obviously had a mind of its own. For it to fall out of two peoples possessions and make it's way to the owners wife; it was destiny, definitely not my own carelessness. Mr Wellington began fumbling with some sort of excuse but Millicent wasn't having any of it. "You took a vow, Edgar. Allow me to remind you." The panic in the room escalated to an all new level, both Susan and Mr. Wellington began yelling wildly for help. Charon and I looked to each other for guidance, but we were too late. "Till death to we part." A gunshot sounded and we could hear Susan's terrified shriek before another shot silenced her. My mouth fell open. For a long time, there was no sound at all. It was as if time had frozen. I couldn't believe the woman I'd met just a short while ago would be able to kill someone, and not just anyone, her own husband! Not that he didn't deserve it, and Susan wasn't exactly a saint. Finally, the tower's security must have made their way to the room. I could hear the sound of heavy footfalls then several voices talking, one of them being Millicent's. It was too muffled for me to hear much of anything, but it sounded like Millicent was extremely calm considering the circumstances. Charon and I waited patiently until the halls were filled with silence once more. I wasn't sure what'd happened to Millicent, nor did I particularly care.  
"This place is a madhouse." I whispered to Charon. I couldn't see why Roy would willingly want to live in a place like this, but I was more than ready to get the hell out of here before something else happened. I certainly didn't want to spend the night here, I'd rather take my chances on the road. If Tenpenny wanted to do business of any sort, it was going to have to be done tonight. I informed Charon of my plan and headed into the bathroom to quickly swap out of the red jumpsuit in favor of the black one. So much for dressing fancy for my meeting, at least Charon had seemed to like it. After packing our supplies back up, we made our way to the elevator and headed to the penthouse, which we assumed was where we could find Tenpenny.

The moment the elevator dinged and the door slide open, we were met by a particularly grumpy looking man with thinning brown hair and the same green armor as the other guards. "Mr. Tenpenny isn't taking callers." He said, resting a hand on the gun at his side.  
"So I've been told, but I can't wait on this guy forever. You tell him we either talk now or I'm out of here." There was no way I would be coming back to this insane asylum again, either. I was sure I could find this Galaxy News Radio on my own if need be. The guard frowned, turning to leave without a word. A few moments passed before he returned.  
"This way." He eyed Charon with disdain but said nothing else as he led us into a small, square room. Three of the four walls held a door. The one directly across from the way we'd entered was a double-door etched with intricate gold trimmings. The guard approached these and opened one wide. He stepped aside, still saying nothing, and allowed us to pass by. The open door revealed an enormous balcony with dark wood flooring and a thick, elegant steel railing. A radio sat on a nearby table playing 'I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire'; seems it was too late for that. I moved slowly to the railing, Charon close by me, looking out at the immaculate view. It was like nothing I'd seen before. The immense wasteland spread out wide before us, looking quite beautiful in a way. I could spot Megaton from here, its high dome comprised of various shapes and colors of metal glittered under the bright moon. Although desolate, there was an undeniable beauty to the wastes. Not in the usual sense; it wasn't like gazing at a work of art or anything, but under that calm night sky with thousands of stars and Charon at my side, it was perfect.  
I looked at him to see that he had his eyes fixed on me, half a smile playing on his lips. My eyes fixated on those lips. My own had come so close to touching his. The more I considered it, the more I wish it would have happened.

"Hello there. Welcome to Tenpenny Tower." A high-pitched voice trilled, deflating the magical moment. I'd been so preoccupied that I hadn't even noticed someone else was here with us. He sat in the corner against the tower wall in a big, red velvet chair; a small, old man with pale blue eyes and a pleasant smile on his wrinkled face. He lifted his glass, filled with a bloody red liquid, in greeting. "You must be Minx!" I nodded to him.  
"Yes, I am. You must be Mr. Tenpenny, and this is my friend, Charon." I gestured to Charon, who bowed his head curtly.  
"Wonderful," Tenpenny said, still smiling. He didn't look at all concerned by Charon's presence, which I found odd if he really was a bigoted ghoul-hater, like I had come to believe. "Well I'm sure neither of us can afford to have our time wasted. To business, then?" He asked, gingerly sipping his wine. "Am I correct in assuming that it was you, indeed, who disarmed the bomb in Megaton?"  
"Yes, I did." I affirmed. He seemed displeased by that, which I found rather strange. Most people were happy about things not going boom.  
"I'm sorry to put you through all this trouble, but I need you to rearm it." I stared at him blankly, not sure if I'd heard him correctly. My bewilderment must have been obvious, for he continued. "Let me explain," he folded his boney fingers neatly and placed them on his lap. "The tower is quite a magnificent place, is it not? I look out on the wastes all day long and marvel at the beauty in destruction." I nodded my assent. It really was beautiful up here, I envied him, but I didn't see how it correlated with what he'd asked me to do. "I admit, Megaton, in a sense, mars that beauty." His eyes narrowed as he stared out in the direction of the town he spoke of with such animosity. Was he hinting at what I thought he was? I peered at Charon for some insight. He looked to me, his brow furrowed then he shrugged. Well, thanks for nothing, pal. "With the town gone, the beauty can be restored." This guy was obviously insane. Why, why did I ALWAYS run into the crazy murderers?  
"So," I began slowly, fixing my gaze back on the old man, "you want me to rearm the bomb in Megaton...because you think it's an eye sore?"

Mr. Tenpenny nodded, as if this was a perfectly reasonable request. Even if I could rearm it, which I wasn't sure I could, why would I? Not only would all those people lose their lives, all my stuff was there!  
"Then, simply place the detonator on it, which I will provide to you, and come back here." He was talking about blowing up a city the same way people discussed the weather!  
"That...is a terrible reason, sir." I told him cautiously. He was crazy, after all, so I thought it'd be in my best interest to let him down gently. Then I realized calling his idea 'terrible' probably wasn't the best way to go about it. He didn't seem to mind as he grinned, his tiny teeth glistening.  
"Reasons don't matter, it's the rewards that count! I can reward you very well indeed." What kind of person would do that for any reward? I wanted to find my dad more than anything in the world but there was no chance that I'd kill all those people to find him. Tenpenny didn't care about any of them. He cared more about his own view than their didn't seem like the old fragile man I'd first seen, no. He was a murderer. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. It seemed like everyone was a killer these days.  
"Sorry, Mr. Tenpenny, but I won't help you destroy Megaton." So much for getting info on dad. Instead, this trip had set me back even further on an already cold trail.  
"I see," he responded flatly, "Don't have the stomach for it?" I scoffed. Was that meant to offend me?  
"Unlike a lot of other people, I've still got a heart that understands what's right and what's wrong, and a brain that still thinks logically." I spat. I saw Charon from the corner of my eye, placing his hand over his gun as he sighed loudly, expecting a fight to break out, I assumed. Tenpenny's mouth faded into a thin line.  
"You have a lot of nerve, insulting an old man when you are an invited guest in his establishment." He kept his voice quiet and even, though I could see he was enraged. I didn't care how mad he was, and I really didn't care about his lousy 'establishment' either. I couldn't see why Roy and his friends would want to live in this place when it had such horrible residents and a psychopathic owner.  
"I'm a man of distinction madam, I will have my way by whatever means necessary, I hope you understand that." He was trying to threaten me? He really was crazy. Charon spoke up then, low and menacing as he moved to stand partially between myself and Tenpenny.  
"I wonder what the people in Megaton will do when they find out about this." He said. Tenpenny laughed, its high pitch having the same effect as nails on a chalkboard.  
"Indeed, I'd like to see. If you're hinting at them attacking the tower, you may as well arm the bomb; for they will all die in both scenarios!" Charon laughed too, deep and brief.  
"You put a lot of faith in a cement wall and only a handful of incompetent guards. I'm sure you are aware that an assassin infiltrated your tower this afternoon." Tenpenny didn't miss a beat.  
"And if neither of you are able to leave this tower?" He asked, sounding more curious than threatening.  
"I'll kill you and anyone else who gets anywhere near her. Just like I killed the man who snuck by your guards." Charon replied, as if there was no doubt that it would happen exactly that way, regardless of what Tenpenny threw at him. Although one man hardly seemed like a threat regularly, if I had to bet who would come out on top in this altercation, Charon would have my vote. I peered up at him in silent admiration. He always knew what to say or do to gain the advantage, a tactic in which I was sorely lacking. Tenpenny must have realized by now that he needed to seriously reconsider his staffing choices. The old man sighed and then a sly grin spread over his features.

"You seem to have me at a disadvantage. So, where do we go from here?" Charon looked to me for a response. I shrugged, not understanding.  
"What?" A small, amused smile appeared on his face as he shook his head, his demeanor completely changing from what it was just a moment ago.  
"Your father?" He asked. Oh, was that what was going on? Blackmailing Tenpenny wasn't exactly how I'd planned on getting what I wanted but hey, whatever works.  
"Well," I began, "I'm looking for my dad, middle-aged guy, brownish grey hair, talks a lot about sciencey stuff that's hard to understand? His name is James." Tenpenny listened to my description then huffed his response.  
"A common name and a description that fits half the men in the wasteland, except maybe for the bit about science."  
"You have resources. Use them." Charon demanded. Tenpenny looked between the two of us with a helpless expression.  
"You're a nice girl, if a bit brutish," Really, he couldn't just omit the bit about being a brute? Who was he to talk anyway; he wanted to blow up an entire town! "The best I can do is call in a bounty hunter and it could take them months to find this James fellow. Even then, with a description such as that, there's a chance it could be the wrong man!" My heart sank. I couldn't just sit around for months, waiting for dad to turn up. He'd already been gone for weeks, he could be halfway across the world by now.  
"That isn't good enough!" Charon barked, he seemed to be more adamant about it than even myself. "You can do better." I put a hand on his arm to stop him.  
"No, Charon. It's alright." I knew there wasn't much else that could be done. I wasn't sure what I'd expected when I thought he would be able to help me find my dad. It was strange, this role-reversal that was going on. Usually I was the one to fly off the handle and Charon was the voice of reason. I knew I was right, though. Maybe my description was vague and the wastes stretched wide, but I'd know dad anywhere. With Charon's help, I'd find him quicker than any bounty hunter ever could. The song on the radio ended and a man began talking in a booming voice. "That was the Ink Spots and 'this' is Galaxy News Radio, I'm your host, Three Dog!" He then proceeded to howl like a dog. Galaxy News Radio; that was where my dad went! Mr. Tenpenny scowled, obviously not a fan of the radios DJ.  
"Simmons! Turn that incessant thing off, I am trying to conduct business!" The guard who had escorted us reappeared and made his way towards the radio which continued on loudly.  
"Now for some news: I met a man recently who is fighting the good fight. Apparently he's working on a way to clean the water in the wasteland. His name is James-"  
Simmons was reaching for the dial at this point when the name was spoken.  
"Wait!" I dove for the radio, grabbing it in my arms as I went tumbling to the ground along with Simmons. I ended up sprawled halfway on top of the man, my hands locked in a death-grip on the still playing radio. It was an embarrassing position, but I couldn't move until I heard what Three Dog had to say.  
"He's on his way to Rivet City to meet up with some other scientist. So if you see James, make sure to give him a helping hand and hope he succeeds."

My dad was in Rivet City: wherever that was! I was so overwhelmed with excitement I thought I would burst! Maybe this trip wasn't an utter waste after all! I felt someone grabbing me by the back of my jumpsuit and lifting me off the prone guard. Setting me back on my feet beside him, Charon glared at Simmons. "Did you hear, Charon?" I asked giddily.  
"I heard." Came his flat reply, taking the radio from my hands and replacing it on the table before turning it off. He made no move to help the downed guard, who stumbled to his feet on his own.  
"Sorry about that." I said, a little awkwardly.  
"He should be the one apologizing." Charon scoffed. He seemed really angry. Could it be that he was jealous? The thought made me grin. Simmons didn't respond, he just mumbled something under his breath as he went back to his post. Now that I knew where my dad was, I couldn't wait to get back on the road. I turned to Tenpenny, who had been watching the entire thing with an amused expression.  
"I suppose our business is concluded, Miss Minx." I regarded him, not sure of what to do. If I didn't agree to what he wanted, surely he would find someone else that would, then Megaton would be history. I couldn't just kill him, and I doubt threatening him would stop him.  
"You're concerned for your town?" He asked, reading my thoughts.  
"Can you blame me?"  
"I suppose not. The only thing I can do is tell you that, so long as my tower as well as myself remains safe, Megaton can exist...if it must." He glanced at Charon, who was giving him a less than amiable look.  
"We can leave." Charon said.  
"Are you sure? What if he's lying?" I questioned in a s hushed tone. Call me crazy, but I wasn't ready to believe anything Tenpenny had to say.  
"If he does it, he won't live long enough to admire the view." The threat was clear and it also ended all discussion, for Charon immediately took my hand and led me back inside and into the elevator. On the long way down, my excitement renewed. Not only was I getting out of this hell-hole, but I was back on the trail to finding my dad!  
"Man, that was so bad ass of you, Charon. You were all like," I scowled fiercely, attempting to mimic Charon, "He won't live long enough to admire the view.' And then you just walked out like, 'deal with it'!" Charon watched me reenact the entire scene quietly, quirking a brow. I continued on. "Do you try to be cool when you do stuff like that, or does it just come naturally? Maybe I should try it sometime."That got a chuckle out of him.  
"You sure have a lot of energy."  
"Of course! I'm finally going to find my dad, Rivet City here we come!" I clasped my hands together tightly, staring at the slow moving dial in anticipation.  
"Do you even know how to get there?" He asked. My face fell. Shit, I forgot about that part. Well after all that happened, there was no way I could just casually waltz back out on that balcony and ask Tenpenny for directions. Surely, someone knew how to get there, but how long would it take to find them? I doubt any of the residents would help me, even if they did know where to go, I hadn't exactly made the best impression. Could I really be back at square one? The depression set in almost instantly. After a long silence, Charon spoke.  
"I know where it is. It will take some time to get there."  
I glared up at him.  
"Why didn't you say so in the first place!"  
"That's for all the zombie jokes." He teased, crossing his arms. I turned away from him, sticking my nose up. I could play this game too.

"Well good thing you know, I thought I was going to have to go back up to ask Simmons for directions." I glanced from the corner of my eye to see his reaction. His mouth drew into a thin line, but said nothing so I continued. "He seems like a nice enough guy, I'm sure he would help me out, it may be a little awkward after..you know..I fell on top of him." Saying it even embarrassed me a little bit.  
"We don't 'need' his help." His words sounding bitter. "I know what you're doing." He accused. I turned to look up at him innocently, twirling a lock of my strawberry-blond hair.  
"What ever do you mean, Charon?" He looked utterly unimpressed by my ruse.  
"You should know better." He closed the distance between us. I subconsciously moved away until my back was pressed against the elevators wall. Charon smirked, placing one of his hands on the wall near my head. "You're trying to make me jealous?" He asked, his voice a low growl. The tone sent a tingling sensation down my spine and all the way back up. My back arched uncontrollably and my breath caught in my chest. "Be careful about that. Ghoul's aren't known for their self-control." He moved closer to me, his face sinister, my heart felt like it would explode if it began to beat any faster. I tried to speak, but nothing came out as he lowered his head. I felt his lips brush gently against my own and my entire body began to heat up an tingle wildly. The elevator dinged and Charon removed his hand, reverting to his usual impassive self, as if nothing had just happened. Unlike Charon, I practically floated out of the elevator, a smitten grin on my face.


	9. Nine

We wasted no time exiting Tenpenny Tower, and the residents were all more than happy to see us go. The feeling was mutual. "Good riddance!" I declared, waving the building goodbye.  
"I guess Roy will have to find his own way in." Charon commented as we began walking back the way we had come. My eyes widened and I smacked myself in the head.  
"I forgot all about him! Oh, no!" I couldn't believe something like that could just slip my mind so easily. Honestly, I thought I was doing Roy an accidental favor. There was no way I'd ever want to go back to Tenpenny tower, much less live there. "Maybe I should tell him about Megaton." I said contemplatively, "should we go baaah-!" Something large and squishy came in contact with my foot, sending me straight to the ground. Arms flailing wildly, I tried to regain my footing, but to no avail. I landed hard on my stomach, all the air in my body escaping with a 'whoosh'. Charon helped me back to my feet with a loud sigh.  
"Not again." He muttered. At first, I thought that comment was directed at me for falling a second time, then I realized what it was that I'd tripped over. It was the very same ghoul that had plummeted from the sky in Megaton. He appeared to be sleeping with a plastic spoon in his hand and he was next to a shallow dug hole, a few inches deep. What in the world he was doing out here, and why he was digging a hole was anyone's guess. "Jebs. This is one of the assassins that were sent for you." Charon explained. I was less than convinced of that and my face showed it. I mean, it didn't even look like he was armed! Though, it would make sense of all our coincidental encounters. "I never said he was good at his job." Charon stated. That actually made me feel sorry for the guy. He was bad at killing people, and he was an assassin! It was tragic. I kneeled down to make sure he was okay. He seemed to be perfectly fine, though he was an awfully restless sleeper. He kept mumbling pretty fervently but I couldn't understand what he was saying. His dark grey clothing was drenched in what I could only imagine was sweat. He'd must of been sleeping out here for a while.  
"Aw, he's cute." I said as he stretched out his limbs, then returned to his huddled position. Charon grumbled something incoherent in response. "Alright gather him up and let's go." I commanded, rising back to my feet. This guy was about half the size of Charon, so it should have been an easy enough task. Charon crossed his arms, making no move to pick up the sleeping ghoul.  
"You can't be serious. Didn't you hear what I said?"  
"Well we can't just leave him out here."  
"Yes we can."  
I threw him a withering glare. The poor guy was just in the wrong line of work, that was all. Maybe if he got to know me he'd realize I wasn't such a bad person and maybe he'd be less likely to want to kill me. With little to no effort, Charon bent down and hoisted Jebs over his shoulder. He made sure to continue to sigh loudly, letting me know of his irritation. The small ghoul somehow managed to stay dead asleep even through all the jostling. Jebs may have been content but Charon still looked more than a little displeased by the arrangement.  
"Alright, lead the way, muscles." I slapped his backside to herd him forward. Since what'd happened in the elevator, I must have felt a bit more bold because ordinarily, I would never do something like that. Charon jolted with the impact, his eyes widened but he only grinned as he began walking. I followed close, my eyes admiring the view of him. He looked just as good from behind as he did from the front. I didn't say so out loud, of course. I was feeling bold, but not 'that' bold.

Charon had explained that Rivet City, our destination, was actually located on the inside of a giant beached aircraft carrier. How nifty, I thought. I couldn't wait to see. He also had informed me that we would have to go through a large section of metro tunnels to get to the city. I wasn't looking forward to that but it was better than the alternative. I'd take my chances against a few dozen ferals instead of the raiders and Super Mutants that infested D.C.  
By that time, the moon was high above us and it was our only real source of light. I never bothered to pack a light source, my pipboy was all I needed. I tried to avoid using it though, didn't really want to attract attention, especially with Charon a bit incapacitated by his extra cargo. I followed near to him, sword at the ready just in case. The wasteland was eerily silent, which only furthered my apprehension. We passed by the same station where we'd seen the scavengers earlier that day. It looked a lot less inviting in the night, dark shadows moved like ghostly figures across the broken windows. We kept walking. Although the road we were taking would allow us the opportunity to stop at Megaton for the night, we decided against it. We couldn't afford any more delays. Traveling in the dark was dangerous but it had its advantages as well, and with Charon at my side, no threat was too great. After the lights from Megaton were far behind us, we resumed our vigil. Jebs remained asleep as he swung back and forth from Charon's shoulder, completely oblivious to the world around him. I wondered how someone like him had managed to survive in the wastes. Watching his restless slumber only reinforced my decision to take him with us. It would only be a matter of time before that sleeping habit of his got him into trouble. We were approaching the side of a large, dilapidated building when Charon halted.  
"What is it?" I asked as he quietly went down on one knee. Laying Jebs on the ground, he took up his rifle and raised a finger to his mouth to silence me, then pointed in the direction of the buildings entrance. Two figures stood in front of an iron barrel with a roaring fire. I quickly crouched down beside Charon, not wanting to be spotted. It was hard to tell from this distance if they were raiders, but I wasn't willing to take any unnecessary chances to find out. If we continued on our set path, we would end up walking directly in front of the building and would surely be seen. We could try going around the back side, but there were likely sentries there as well.  
Without a word, I moved, still crouching, closer to the front of the building. I needed a better look at who we may be having to deal with. I made my way to one of the several rusted car shells that littered the buildings lot. From there, I could see a set of lettering above the door that read 'Super Duper Mart'. The two people in near the barrel looked as if they hadn't bathed in months. They, as well as their clothing, were covered in black grim. One of them, a woman, had half of her head shaved clean while the other half remained a tangled mess of black hair. The other, a man, was bald with a big tattoo of a snake wrapped around his head. Yup, definitely raiders. It seemed that I'd come upon them during some sort of argument.

"Where the FUCK did you hide it?" The woman shouted, going as far as to rip her pistol from her belt and point it threateningly at her companion.  
"I didn't hide shit!" The man stated defensively.  
"I found that Psycho, fair and square!"  
"You're already fuckin' psycho! You don't need any more!" At that point, the woman threw her gun to the ground and tackled the man while growling viciously. The weapon skittered to a stop a few feet from my location. The brawl continued on the ground, both combatants punching and kicking wildly at the other. With the two of them fully engrossed, I moved silently forward on my knees, stretching out my arm for the discarded weapon. I would need a gun if I was going to have to traverse the metro tunnels once again, and if they were going to be so kind as to give me theirs, well, I'd be more than happy to take it. I snatched it up and started to quickly scurry back to my hiding spot when I heard the scuffle behind me cease.  
"Hey!" One of them shouted. I froze. I didn't need to be told that they were yelling at me for after a brief delay, gunfire erupted through the peaceful night air. I dove for cover behind the car shell. Charon shouted for me over the noise but I didn't move as the gunfire pummeled the car, fearing a stray bullet would catch me if I did. I couldn't see Charon from my position, but I could hear him returning fire on the raiders. One of them began shouting for back up. Who knew how many of these guys were in that building, Charon was going to need my help. I had managed to swipe the gun, after all. It was a regular old ten millimeter, not really what I was accustomed to, but it couldn't be much different from a laser pistol. Just point and shoot Lily, I told myself. Wrapping my hands tightly around the weapon, I prepared myself. When there was a short break in the firing, I rose from my cover and aimed at the raiders. Now there were half a dozen of them, the entrance door flung wide. Even the girl that I had stolen the gun from had been rearmed. When I got a better look at her however, she seemed terrified, the gun trembling in her hands. She hid halfway behind the iron barrel as Charon's gun continued to spray at the pack. I faltered, dropping back down into cover without firing a single shot. "I...can't." I whispered hoarsely to myself.

I had killed once. After the doors to the vault had closed behind me, I had felt a terror overtake me. It was like nothing I'd ever felt before, staring out onto a world that I had never seen. To top it all off, I was utterly alone with nothing but an old laser pistol. It wasn't long until I'd ran into a young man close to my own age. He had been scrounging around in one of the old houses I had happened by and had taken me by surprise. He'd fired at me first, it was true, but he was likely just scared. I know I was when I shot back at him. The outcome had been in my favor, but I didn't feel good about it. Sometimes, I even dreamed of his face, the terror in his eyes had mirrored that of my own. It was the same fear that I saw in the raider girl. We all just wanted to survive in this harsh land any way we could. I vowed not to become what so many others had in this desolate place and I'd taken the boys sword as a reminder to myself of that promise. I clutched tight to that sword as I cowered behind cover, unsure of what I should do. Charon continued to shout my name, each time the call was more fervent than the last. I shut my eyes to it all. Unable and unwilling to face what was happening, I lowered my head to the ground and wrapped my arms around my knees. I forced the sound of gunfire to disappear completely, replaced by utter silence. Suddenly, I felt a hand grabbing my shoulder and forcing me up. I let out a scream as I violently began pushing away at them, my eyes still sealed.  
"Lily." A voice said in a heart shattering tone. Then I was being held in a tight embrace by a pair of strong arms. I opened my eyes and stopped struggling. Even if I wanted to continue fighting, it would have been almost impossible with how tight he was holding me. "I thought..." Charon's voice faltered. The moment I realized it was him, I hugged him back just as hard, my face buried in his chest. We stood like that for a long time. The world around us returning to its eerie silence. I could feel his heart beating rapidly, his chest moving up and down at a similarly quick pace. I felt my eyes begin to water so I squeezed them shut to prevent the inevitable tears from falling. He slowly released me from his grasp. His brown eyes looked me over with concern.  
"I'm okay." I whispered. I dared to look back at the entrance of the Super Duper Mart. What I saw was a complete and utter massacre. Blood soaked bodies littered the ground. Even the fire barrel had toppled over, its heated embers pouring out. I spotted the woman laying near it, her lifeless eyes staring straight at me. I couldn't peel my gaze away from that horrid scene. In an instant, they had all lost everything. Of course, I understood that it was either us or them, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that it was wrong. Charon took my hand and led me away from it all, back to the road where he'd left Jebs.

We resumed our trek in silence, leaving the Super Duper Mart far behind, but the memory of the young raider's face would remain forever in my dreams, just like the young man. Jebs had remained fast asleep through it all somehow. I envied him. We passed under a highway bridge that looked about ready to fall down on top of us. The only thing we found down there were a couple of territorial mongrels, but we simply steered clear of them and they left us alone in turn. The moon had begun its descent, giving way to the early morning light as we approached the bridge that would take us across the river and into the D.C. ruins. Charon was the first to break the silence. "I'm sorry."  
I looked away from him, focusing my attention instead on the river. The water was murky, grey, and filled with debris. My father would have his work cut out for him if he was planning on purifying that. I felt like I was contracting radiation poisoning just by looking at it. "What you saw. You understand that is what I am? What I was made to do" Charon continued. I brought my eyes back upon him. His face was grim. "I'm the embodiment of what you despise. I'm a murderer. I was made to kill."  
I frowned. Though I understood that he was speaking honestly, I didn't like hearing him say it. Whatever had happened to him to make him into what he was, he couldn't help it. He'd been brainwashed, yet he'd managed to overcome it for my sake. He was sent to kill me, but hadn't. There was a part of him that was strong enough to fight back against what they'd done to him.  
"You're so much more than what they tried to make you into." I couldn't even begin to guess what struggles Charon must have faced, but I wouldn't let him suffer alone and I certainly wasn't going to let him degrade himself.  
"Lily." Just a single word, but it carried with it such an impact on my heart. Charon may not say much, but he didn't have to, I understood.

The load on Charon's shoulder, otherwise known as Jebs, began to stir then, a loud yawn escaping him. Charon grunted as he tossed the ghoul from his shoulder, causing Jebs to land flat on his backside on the hard cement.  
"Oof!" Jebs said with a thud. I threw Charon a disapproving glare before stretching out my hand to Jebs.  
"Hello, there. I'm Minx, the girl you've been trying to kill." The poor thing looked ready to pass out as he gazed at me in horror.  
"No, no, don't worry! I'm not gonna hurt you." Jebs seemed less than convinced as his milky grey eyes shifted back and forth between Charon and I. His eyes stayed on Charon for a long while before he brought his attention back to me. I wasn't sure what sort of relationship he and Charon had, but from the looks of it, Charon didn't think much of the little ghoul. Jebs, on the other hand, seemed to look at Charon with admiration and a bit of confusion. Probably wondering why he was traveling around with his assassination target. "It's good that you woke up, we're about to head into the metro tunnels, and we'll need an extra set of eyes." Even as I spoke, Jebs had already begun to look listless. Seriously, did this guy have some sort of disease or something? I snapped my fingers in his face to bring him out of his stupor. "Look alive, man!" Jebs widened his eyes and nodded his head as he took hold of my outstretched hand. Good enough, I thought to myself, hoisting him back onto his feet. We worked out way along the river until we reached one of the entrances to the metro tunnels. Charon pushed open the rusty iron gate and walked in readily enough, Jebs shambling along behind him. They were ghouls after all, they were hardly in any danger in the feral infested tunnels. I, on the other hand, drew my pistol and followed cautiously. We entered the dank, dark underground. The only source of light came from the emergency lights overhead. Straight away, an overwhelming stench assaulted my senses. The tunnels never smelled great, but that odor was beyond horrid. We found the source to be half of a mole rat corpse, at least, I thought it was a mole rat. The body had been bludgeoned almost beyond recognition.  
"How sweet, someone cleared the way for us." I said uneasily. I was in no way comforted by the dead body. Ferals wouldn't be able to inflict such crushing blows and I doubt an adventurer would either. "Keep your eyes peeled." Cautiously, we moved passed the entrance and into the tunnel itself. There was a large wrecked cart resting diagonally down the center of the path with more mutilated mole rats strewn about, but still no sign of whoever or whatever killed them. Seeing the abandoned train reminded me of the fact that we were still broke, and that train was likely a gold mine for scrap. I slide passed my companions and hoped up onto the backside of the train where the door was located. It was a bit nostalgic, really. I hadn't been scavenging since I'd teamed up with Charon, I actually missed it. I didn't only do it for the caps, sometimes you could stumble across some really unique things if you looked hard enough. My house in Megaton was proof of that. Charon probably thought I was a hoarder with the amount of pre-war nick-knacks I owned. He was polite enough not to say anything about it.

"Li- Minx..." Charon cautioned, stopping himself from using my real name in front of Jebs, though I doubt he'd have noticed anyway. It looked like he was sleepwalking at this point. I gave Charon a reassuring smile as I pulled on the latch. I grunted as I used all my weight to wrench the stubborn thing open. A creaking ensued that echoed loudly off the tunnels walls as the door slowly gave way.  
"What that?" I winced. That voice didn't belong to any of my party, but I could tell what it was right away. Improper speech, low pitch, hell, I could practically hear the stupid oozing from each syllable.  
"Get in the train." I commanded, turning on my heels and rushing into its depths, not waiting for Charon and Jebs to follow. I hadn't had the pleasure of meeting a Super Mutant face to face before, but I'd heard enough about them to know I definitely never wanted to. I'd seen them before from a distance, but only on the topside of D.C. I never expected them to come into the metro tunnels. I spotted a mostly intact row of seats and made a mad dash, sliding into a crouch in front of them. Charon was with me a few moments later. I dared to raise my head and peek over the seats through the broken window that lined the the upper portion of the train. What I saw was a massive hulk of a creature with greenish yellow skin and an enormous super sledge in its hands. Well, that would explain the mole rats. The monster lifted its head and began sniffing the air intently.  
"I smell you." I ducked back into cover. He smells me? I nonchalantly sniffed myself but whatever scent he was referring to, I wasn't catching it. Charon just shook his head at me. "Here human, human, human. Smash not hurt you." Oh well that was rather convincing, who wouldn't trust someone with a name like Smash? Let me just come right out dear sir, and we could discuss your hobby of mutilating mole rats, I thought to myself. I could hear his heavy footsteps patrolling the area as he continued his search. I looked to Charon for a plan, but then I realized a certain member of our party was missing. "Where's Jebs?" I mouthed the question, causing Charon's eyes to widen as he looked over his shoulder to see no one there.  
"What this?" The super mutant asked aloud. I lifted myself back up to see the mutant grabbing poor sleeping Jebs and hoisting him into the air until his face was level with the his captor's. "Bah, more ghoul." He began immediately dragging Jebs away, back into the corridor he'd emerged from. I couldn't just let Jebs get eaten! Who was going to tell his assassin buddies not to murder me? Besides that, the poor thing didn't even know what was going on. I knew that sleeping habit was bad news.  
"Hey, you!" Shouting loudly, I jumped up from my hiding place. Charon made a move to stop me but I slipped passed his grasp and marched off the train. The Super Mutant stopped and turned around to regard me, a stupidly shocked expression on his face.  
"Human! Smash knew he smelled you." He took an eager step forward.  
"Whoa, slow down big guy. I know what you're thinking," Smash gave me a perplexed look but stopped his advance, "you wanted to eat my friend there," I pointed at Jebs, "I can't have that." The mutant looked at Jebs, then back at me, dropping his hammer to the ground and scratching the top of his head with his now free hand. So far so good, no ones been killed yet. I decided to keep things moving in order to have it stay that way. "Maybe we can work out a deal that doesn't end in someone being eaten, or having their brains blown out." That second half was meant for Charon, who I was certain had already followed me out of the train and was readying his rifle. Smash grunted. I wasn't sure if he could tell that he was outnumbered, he may not have been smart enough to realize it, but he seemed eager about my proposal. "You pretty, Smash take you, let little ghoul go." He said with what I suppose was a smile, it was hard to tell with that harness over his mouth. At least he wasn't calling me ugly like everyone else had these days. Still, I wasn't really in any position to be flattered.  
"I'm not much of a meal. You see?" I gestured to my small arms, "no meat on these bones, but how about I trade you something else?" I awaited his response. He seemed to be thinking really hard about his options, grinding his yellow teeth back and forth.  
"Not eat pretty girl. What little human got?" 

Now we were getting somewhere. Not only had I guaranteed my self preservation but the brute was willing to trade off Jebs as well. Really, I should have been a diplomat or something. I turned around and gave Charon a wink as I removed my pack. Shifting through the contents, I took out several bottles of water and a few small bags filled with the various fruits of the wastes then presented it to Smash. He eyed over the contents then shook his head. I sighed aloud. Who knew Super Mutants could be so picky? The hulking creature continued to look contemplative. It felt like an eternity waiting for this guy to speak. Having to endure the rotting stench of the tunnels all the while didn't help. He examined me from head to toe, then spoke.  
"Smash want clothes."  
"Eh? Smash want clothes. What kind of clothes?" I asked slowly, examining his own garb. He wore a simple cloth around his waist and a pair of large, black boots. I wondered if it was hard to find shoes in his size. One of his feet was likely three times the size of my head.  
"Smash want little humans suit. Smash want to smell pretty human always."  
"You want MY clothes?" I blanched, I could have sworn I heard a chuckle coming from Charon, "you're a bit big for them, don't you think?"  
"Smash want clothes, or no ghoul for tiny human." Oh, how sweet. What girl wouldn't enjoy the thought of an overgrown science experiment gone wrong cuddling and sniffing her garments whenever the need struck him? He said it with such finality, I was certain there would be no reasoning with the dumb brute. A thought came to my mind then. I crouched back on the ground to dig through my pack and remove my red jumpsuit.  
"How about this?"  
Smash eyed the article of clothing suspiciously then opened his mouth wide and stuck out his tongue, making a disgusted sound.  
"That ugly. Want black one."  
What, ugly?! That was my best suit! I sighed with exasperation and looked to Charon. He stood there with his arms crossed, looking quite amused.  
"We're waiting." He was enjoying this.  
"Are you serious?" I hissed.  
"You wanted to negotiate."  
My face burned as both Smash and Charon watched me expectantly. I wasn't going to just strip down in front of them, so if that was what they were expecting, they were going to be sorely disappointed. I snatched up my bag and pushed passed Charon.  
"Don't you dare look." I warned, giving him an intimidating glare as I hopped back on to the train, returning to the set of in-tact seating and hiding behind it as best as I could, then removed my jumpsuit. Luckily for me, I still had my 'ugly' red one handy so I quickly slipped into it, peeking over the seats all the while to see Charon grinning from ear to ear. After everything was in place and safely clad, I reemerged from the train casually, attempting to keep at least a portion of my dignity intact. "Here." I said flatly, tossing the garment to Smash. He grabbed hold of it and immediately brought it to his face and inhaled deeply. I wasn't sure if I should feel flattered or disgusted.

"Smash like little human." He said, tossing Jebs over much in the same fashion that I had done to the suit. Thankfully, Charon had moved close to my side and caught the incoming ghoul. He seemed to have woken up at some point during the exchange, for his eyes were wide and full of confusion.  
"What happened?" He asked, yawning loudly. It was strange hearing him speak, I'd only ever heard him mumbling in his sleep. Charon sighed and set Jebs down on shaky legs. He seemed no worse for wear. I turned my attention back on Smash, who had tied my suit around his neck like a scarf. I couldn't help but smile. Okay, maybe he wasn't completely repulsive. I had to give him points for not wanting to kill us all, that already made him better than other Super Mutants in my book.  
"Well, Smash. It's been a blast but we gotta get going, alright big guy?"  
"Wait!" He spoke frantically, "tunnel has lots of bad things. Hurt pretty human. Smash take you where you need go." He sounded so adamant, hoisting his sledge hammer onto his shoulder and waited for my reply.  
"Ah, well." I stumbled over my words, not entirely sure if I should take him up on that offer. Just a moment ago, he'd wanted to eat me after all. While I was happy for his sudden change of heart, I wasn't entirely convinced of it. Charon spoke up for me instead.  
"Let's get going then. I'm not going to deny help with keeping Minx alive. It's a hell of a job." I scowled at him, but he only smirked and gave me a wink. He was obviously over-exaggerating. Besides, he put himself in this situation. He could've just offed me like he was supposed to, but now he was stuck with me. Just where I wanted him to be, even though he could be a pain. Smash clapped his enormous hands in jubilation. He wasn't exactly what I'd expected to find in the metro station, but I suppose it couldn't hurt to have more allies.


	10. Ten

Turned out, taking Smash along with us through the rest of the tunnels had been the right choice. Not only were there mole rats, but there were an alarming number of feral ghouls to contend with as well. Smash and Charon were up to the task, I'd only had a chance to fire off a few rounds before Charon gunned a dozen down or Smash, well...smashed them. He seemed to be having the time of his life, laughing aloud as blood and guts exploded into the air. Eventually, I decided just to sit back and watch with Jebs. He had no way to join in the fight anyway, unless he planned to scoop them to death with his plastic spoon. "So, Jebs." I began casually, but I didn't really know what else to say. How do you chat up someone who was sent to kill you? That was exactly what Charon was sent to do, but I had no trouble talking to him, "hows life?" Hows life, that's what I'd decided to go with? Jebs probably didn't even know how his life was going with how much he slept through it.  
"Am I a prisoner?" Jebs asked slowly. What, did he think I was trying to interrogate him or something? Jeez, can't even ask a simple question without the suspicions being raised.  
"Of course not."  
"Well then. I guess...life is..." He started with lethargy as he stretched his arms and yawned. I waited for him to finish but he never did. I glanced over at him to find his eyes shut, though he managed to continue walking right alongside me. Oh, brother. Well, if he wasn't going to talk, I'd have to occupy my time some other way. I turned my attention back to Charon, who was still going to work on the ferals. His eyes were set into a determined glare, lips pressed into a flat line. His strong, muscled arms gripped tight around his rifle as he fired unerringly into his targets, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by the scene. Before I knew it, we'd reached our destination: the southernmost exit of the metro station. Charon took one final look around, then holstered his weapon. He raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his brow, then noticed me gawking at him. I quickly looked away.

"Smash told you he help." Smash bounded over to us and beamed down at me. He was completely covered in feral and mole rat entrails and the smell was awful. I forced a smile onto my face anyway.  
"And help you did. Thank you, Smash."  
"Tiny human have to leave now?"  
" 'Fraid so, buddy." He seemed saddened by my reply. He slumped his shoulders and gazed down at the ground. Poor guy, my heart went out to him. It must have been a terrible existence, sitting around in a dark tunnel all day by yourself. "Maybe I'll come back sometime." I offered. That seemed to brighten his mood. He nodded his head vigorously to show his consent. We said our goodbyes and left the tunnels and Smash behind. Call me crazy, but I was sort of sad to leave him back there all alone. Obviously, he couldn't go with us into Rivet City. The guards would likely fire on him the moment they saw him. I decided that I really would come visit him after everything settled down. Maybe he'd like a big slab of brahmin meat or something, since my fruit hadn't seemed to impress him. I practically ran up the stairs after barrelling through the doorway. The musty smell of the wasteland was welcome to my nostrils as I inhaled deeply. I also immediately spotted a huge grey ship almost directly in front of where I stood: Rivet City. My giddiness was at an all time high as I marveled at the enormous construct. My dad was in that boat somewhere, it was just a matter of finding him. The three of us made our way to a large tower with a bridge extending all the way to the ship.

As a surprising change from what I was used to, the guards let us in without much of a fuss, other than telling us to keep our weapons holstered. We decided to enter the door marked 'Market District'. Surely my dad had met some of the merchants, and they could point is in the right direction. The inside of the ship was just as magnificent as the outside. I walked to the railing that overlooked the room. Large white tents littered the floor, dozens of people were haggling for different merchandises that the tents held. We went down the stairs and into the thick of things. Everywhere I looked, there were people busily chatting away with one another. It seemed that no one even noticed us as we moved down the isle.  
"Move it lady!" A boy with shaggy brown hair and a white and red jacket demanded as he ran up and pushed passed me.  
"Hey!" I protested, grabbing the boy by his collar and spinning him around to face me. He glared up at me angrily. What a rude little thing! "That wasn't very polite."  
"Take a leap off the flight deck, asshole!"  
My mouth fell open. I wasn't even sure I knew that word when I was his age.  
"I can't imagine your parents would want you talking like that." I scolded.  
"My dad's dead and my mom doesn't give two shits about what I do, so piss off!" He ripped himself free from my grasp and dashed away, disappearing from sight.  
"Little shit." I muttered under my breath. Though, I can't say I didn't feel sort of sorry for him. Children like that always had a reason behind their behavior. I was reminded of Butch back in 101. He was a total jerk, but his mother was a useless drunk that didn't even care about her own son. I couldn't imagine growing up like that.  
"You're great with kids." Charon commented. I ignored him. A delicious smell permeated the air, making me realize just how starving I was and causing me to quickly forget about the rude little boy. A quick meal break couldn't hurt. Besides, how was I supposed to work on an empty stomach? I allowed the scent to pull me along until we found a little makeshift diner. Behind the counter stood a tall fridge and several shelves filled with various foods. A large pot of soup was bubbling and a young, blond haired woman tended it. I slid up to a stool behind the bar, Charon and Jebs taking a seat on either side of me. A man with a greying military cut approached us. "Hey, welcome to Garys Galley, I'm Gary, haven't seen you three here before. What can I getcha?" Well, that was a pleasant enough welcome. Didn't get many of those these days. Then I remembered, we still didn't have any caps! My heart sank as I looked wistfully at the bubbling pot that had emitted such an intoxicating aroma.  
"Anything sounds great right about now, but I'll have to pass. Mind if we sit here though?" I pulled the bags of fruits from my pack and set them down on the counter as well as three purified waters.  
"Not at all. If you three need a place to sleep, the Weatherly Hotel is on the upper deck." He pointed to a set of stairs opposite to the ones we'd come from. I didn't have to wonder what caused him to say that for when I looked over at Jebs, he had his face pressed against the counter, his eyes shut. Maybe all he really needed was a good nights sleep, uninterrupted. I decided that would be my next stop after Charon and I finished eating, hopefully the owner would be willing to do some sort of trade.

"So many people here." Charon muttered after he took a drink of his water. I rested my hand on my chin and watched him. The more I looked at him, the more appealing everything about him became to me. My gaze roved over his intense eyes, his rough lips, and his muscled arms. I wanted nothing more than to reach out my hand and touch him, to feel his lips on mine again. To have those big, strong arms wrapped around me in a tight embrace was like my own piece of heaven. What was I: an animal in heat? Control yourself, Lily!  
"Making you uneasy, big guy?"  
"A lot of places for a Talon merc to hide. Security isn't exactly strict about who they let in."  
"Don't worry so much. I'll protect you from the big bad mercs." That made him laugh. We finished off our water and some of the fruit. I put what remained away, planning on leaving it with Jebs in the hotel for when he woke up. We said goodbye to Gary and made our way towards the hotel. Charon resumed carrying Jebs on his shoulder, I didn't feel it was necessary to wake him. Upon entering the upper deck, we were met almost immediately by an old man with a grey hair, a large mustache, and a tan checkered vest. He seemed rather eager to speak to me. "Why, what a beautiful young woman! I am Father Clifford, I run Saint Monica's church. Would you like to hear about our lady?" Uh oh, the religious type. Don't get me wrong, I didn't mind religion, it just wasn't something I counted as a priority in my life, I was too busy trying not to die every day to worry about who I would be meeting when my demise finally came. I suppose he could tell by the way I looked at him that I wasn't interested. "Perhaps you need help finding something? You look a bit lost."  
"Weatherly Hotel?" I asked with a shrug. The old man's face beamed and he motioned for me to follow him.  
"Interesting company you keep." He commented, obviously talking about my ghoul companions. I smiled.

"Oh, they're great. The KO'ed one is Jebs, and this is my-" I gestured to Charon. My what, exactly: my everything, my light in the dark, my best friend? "Charon." I said simply. Father Clifford's thin brows raised high into the air, but he smiled anyway. I grinned at Charon, who was mirroring my expression as he gazed down at me. The corridors were just as impressive as the marketplace had been. Each room bustled with people walking in and out. It was still strange seeing so many individuals in one place that didn't all look suspicious of one another or want to kill each other. We still attracted a lot of attention, I caught many of eyes glancing our way as we went down the hall. I had noticed that there were no ghouls on the ship, none that I'd seen so far anyway. At least these people weren't behaving like the Tenpenny residents. I liked this place already.  
"What brings you to the great Rivet City, dear?" Father Clifford asked. I explained that I was searching for my father, when I mentioned he was a scientist, he replied, "there are many scientists here, I am certain he is among them." That lifted my spirits even further. So he was on the ship somewhere, I could run into him at any moment! The anticipation was killing me. It'd felt like I hadn't seen his face in so long. When we finally reunited, I was going to give him the biggest hug possible. Then, I was going to yell at him for leaving me in that horrible vault with an insane Overseer and ask why he hadn't just taken me with him! Then I'd hug him again because of course I would forgive him! He was my father, and after trying so hard to find him, there was no way I was going to run him off by nagging him to death. I couldn't wait to introduce him to Charon, that was going to be interesting. Father Clifford and I continued to discuss all the different events that'd led me to Rivet City. He was especially interested in the story about Charon, though I omitted the part where he'd been under contract to kill me. He looked ready to faint when I told him about Smash. At length, we reached the Weatherly Hotel. The main room was comprised of a large, circular counter in the center with a woman and a Mr Handy behind it and a few benches pushed against the walls.  
"You just wait here, I'll try to use my amazing charms to get Jebs a room!"

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lily gave Charon a wink, then sauntered over to the counter. "She is a beautiful young lady." Father Clifford said. Charon gazed at the vision before him. Lily truly was beautiful, inside and out. He never thought a human could have such a radiance about them, but when he looked at her, it was as if she really was glowing, like some sort of other-worldly being. Before her, Charon had despised humans. He never would have imagined that he would find himself traveling with one, or having such feelings about one for that matter.  
"Yes." He replied simply. The man moved to Charon's side.  
"Such a lady should have the best, don't you agree?" Charon agreed completely. Lily deserved everything she wanted in life, and he would do his best to make that happened. "If you do, I believe you know what needs to be done." Father Clifford gave him a meaningful look. No, Charon didn't understand what the old fool was going on about. He didn't know Lily, how could he possibly know what was good for her? Did he think that after a few minutes of discussing her life, he had some say in it? "You care for her, and she for you, I can tell. But does something like you truly deserve her?" Charon allowed the words to sink in. So that was what he'd meant. Charon had done his best to keep Lily safe, to help her, but in the end, he was a ghoul. That was the only thing everyone saw when they looked at him. She was the only one to ever see something more but nothing he did mattered, a monster like him would never be good enough for her. He'd been selfish for even trying anything in the first place. He, after all, was the one that had kissed her. "Sometimes, people don't understand what they really want. Poor Minx is under a lot of stress from her ordeals. She has been put through much, and has a good, caring heart. She deserves a normal life, or, as normal as ones life can be." The man went on. It was clear where he was going with this, but Charon listened intently to the his words anyway as he watched Lily, who was busy twirling her hair around and shifting her weight from foot to foot. He wondered if she noticed how much she moved around when she talked.

"Some decisions must be made for us, so that we may appreciate them later. I know you want to do right by her. She may hate you for it, but perhaps it is better that way. Do you really want her to be treated as you are? That's the road she is heading down." Charon mulled over what he'd heard. It was clear that Father Clifford understood what was happening between himself and Lily. He hadn't exactly been doing the best job keeping distance from her. In fact, lately he had done the opposite, but what Charon wanted wasn't fair to Lily. Ghouls and humans did not mix, the idea was completely unheard of. She was the shining example of perfection while he was a brainwashed murderer who couldn't even remember his life before that damn contract. The way she'd looked after he'd killed all those raiders: she didn't belong in the wasteland, and Charon was the embodiment of it. He didn't want people to treat her the way he was just because of their association with each other, Lily was too good for that. He noticed the looks people gave her when they saw her with him, he wasn't blind to it. There was only so much he could give her, and still it felt inadequate to what a normal man could do. Perhaps Father Clifford was right. Maybe the best thing for Lily was to let her go, even if it would destroy him.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Thank you so much!" I told Ms. Weatherly as I spun back around and skipped over to Charon, two keys in my hands. The look he gave me seemed sad. I couldn't imagine what'd caused it. I also noticed that Father Clifford was no where in sight. He seemed like a nice enough man, I'd have to go by his church sometime and see him and thank him for his help. Maybe I'd humor him about this Saint Monica person. "She was kind enough to give us two rooms! I thought it might be nice to rest before we go see my father." After all, we hadn't slept in almost two days. Besides that, I wanted to be alone with Charon. Jebs was great and all, but three was becoming a crowd.  
"We need to talk, Lily." Charon said, his face serious.  
"What about?" I questioned. Why was he acting so strangely? He was beginning to worry me. Perhaps he'd seen something that'd put him on edge.  
"Let's talk in private."  
I agreed readily enough. We left Jebs in a room by himself. I saw to it to fluff his pillow myself before I allowed Charon to lay him down in the bed. He immediately looked at peace when his head touched the feathery soft bed. After Jebs was settled, we made our way to the other room. Charon went in first and I followed behind him, locking the door as I went. The room was small. It had one queen sized bed at one end and a small table with two chairs at the other. Charon sat his rifle down on the table, then moved to stand in front of the bed, but he didn't turn around to look at me. "Lily." He began quietly. His next words came slowly, it seemed like he had to force each letter out, I could hear the pain in his voice. "I need to leave." My breath caught in my chest. What did he mean by that? Where did this even come from? Had I said something wrong, stepped out of bounds? My mouth fell open, but I could only get a single word to come out.  
"Why?"  
"I don't want to hurt you."  
"Then why are you saying this!" I accused. Charon flinched at my words. I admit, my outburst surprised even me, but if he thought that I was just going to sit there and let him walk out of my life, he was wrong!  
"This can't happen, Lily!" Charon spun around to face me, his eyes blazing. "It's my own fault. I got too close to you." So that was what this was about? Things had gotten too serious for him, so it was time to cut his losses? I scoffed.  
"You've got to be kidding me." I stormed over to stand before him and poked him hard in the chest. "Typical! You know, you may be a ghoul, Charon but I guess deep down you're just like a regular old human man! Just have to up and leave before you allow yourself to feel real emotion?"  
"That isn't it." He countered.  
"Then what is it?"  
"I'm not good enough for you!" He shouted, grabbing hold of the hand I'd used to shove him and staring down at me with intensity. All the anger within me disappeared all at once.

"Charon." I whispered. His eyes softened as he let my hand go to fall limp at my side. Whatever could have given him such an idea, I had no clue. Charon may not be 'bring home to daddy' material, but I doubted I was either. I didn't care if he was perfect, I didn't want him to be. "I want you." Charon turned away from me.  
"You shouldn't say things like that."  
"Why not, if its the truth?" He scoffed.  
"It doesn't make sense." I rolled my eyes at that. Here we go again. I forced him to turn around and look at me once more. He stared down at me, his eyes unblinking.  
"How many times do I have to explain to you that I don't care about making sense! I care about how I feel, and WHAT I feel..for you." His eyes softened as my voice faltered. I had never felt this way before. Charon knew that I was falling in love with him: that was why he wanted to go, it was the only explanation. He was too late though, because I was fairly certain that I'd already fallen. Water welled in my eyes. I couldn't imagine going on without him. If he left now my world would shatter into a thousand pieces. I let the tears fall, there wasn't any point in hiding them. He brought his hand to my cheek, brushing away a falling tear.  
"Please." I whispered hoarsely, pleading with my eyes. His own orbs stared back at me with a mixture of longing and restraint as he fought to withhold his impassive demeanor, then he sighed.  
"I'm so sorry Lily. You are too beautiful for a ghoul." He said, smiling sadly. He lowered his head slowly until his face was inches away from mine. He moved forward and our mouths touched briefly, his rough lips grazing my trembling ones. He started to pull away and an uncontrollable desire surged inside of me. What if this was the last time I would get to taste those lips? I grabbed the back of his head and forced his mouth back onto mine. At first he refused to meet my kiss, but I persisted on until he was moving his lips right along with me. He could have stopped me if he wanted to, but instead he hoisted me into the air and pushed me against one of the walls. I wrapped my legs around his waist as we kissed, our tongues exploring each others mouths. A growl escaped him and he jerked away from me, roughly setting me back on my feet. I gasped for air, not realizing I'd been holding my breath.

"What's wrong?" I asked breathlessly. He backed away from me slowly shaking his head.  
"This," he said with anger in his voice, "I'm saving you. From making the biggest mistake of your life. People will treat you like you're scum just because of me." My heart fell, his words stinging like a physical slap. He was really going to leave me. Disappear from my life just like that and I knew if he didn't wanted me to find him, I never would. All because he was worried about what people would think of me? I didn't even like people! I closed the distance between us again, reaching out to grab hold of his massive arm.  
"If it's a mistake it's one I want to make, one I'll never regret."  
"You don't-"  
"I love you, Charon!" I cried, not letting him finish. He looked shocked, as if he truly hadn't known this. He shook his head, his expression blank amazement. I persisted anyway, what else could I do? I couldn't let him just walk out of my life without knowing the truth. "I do. I have for a long time now. You love me too don't you, at least, I think you do." I faltered. Did he? How was I supposed to know? His face was a myriad of emotion like I'd never seen before. His breath was coming in short, shallow gasps, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. I dared to inch closer and he didn't move away. I traced a finger across the leather strap at his abdomen. "Do you?" I asked, staring up into his eyes. He looked me over longingly, his gaze devouring all that I was. Then he nodded.  
"I love you." I sighed with happiness, his words felt almost unreal to me.  
"Then take me as yours." I commanded in a sultry voice, pressing my body against his. "I want you to be my first and only." He groaned softly, but couldn't bring himself to pull away from me.  
"Why are you making this harder than it has to be? I'm not a human. I don't deserve you." I laughed. As if I cared if he was a ghoul, in fact, him being a ghoul made me want him even more than if he was human. I wasn't sure if that was considered strange, and I didn't care.  
"You can try to convince me all you want," I told him, "but that doesn't stop me from wanting every bit of you" I wasn't sure what I was doing, I'd never attempted to be seductive before, but I tried my best. I raised a finger and traced his bottom lip. "You want me too, don't you?" What little fight he was trying to put up was crumbled by his own desire. His eyes burned hot as he smiled in a way that wracked my body with shivers. He grabbed me up in his strong arms and dropped me down on the soft bed, towering over me.

"Are you sure?" He asked and I nodded my consent. He tore at my jumpsuit, ripping it into shreds and tossing it on the ground.. I shivered as my half naked body came in contact with the cool air, the only clothing left being my undergarments. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed, no one had ever seen me this way before. Charon appraised me with a pleased he slowly removed the rest of my clothing until I was completely nude. My hands instinctively went to cover myself, but Charon stopped me with just two words. "You're beautiful." His hands glided from my breasts to my stomach, then lower. A sigh of pleasure escaped me as he came in contact with my most sensitive area. Charon smiled, then set to work removing his own clothing. I examined him with admiration. His body was built, corded muscles rippled along his arms and legs. His chest was hard, well sculpted just like the rest of him. I dared to look lower at his large, swelling manhood and couldn't withhold my blush. He chuckled softly as he moved on top of me and pressed his body against mine, kissing me and groping me in places that had never been touched by another. I moaned with pleasure as his fingers played, his lips moving to bite down and suck on my neck. I arched my back and sighed heavily, feeling blissful. I could feel myself getting wetter as his fingers touched me. His moves became fervent and more aggressive as he growled out in my ear, "Can I.." I knew what he wanted, and I was craving it just as badly. I nodded. He wasted no time as he encased me in his arms and moved slowly into me. I gasped as he thrusted forward. I could feel a part of me ripping, my warm blood escaping my body. My nails dug hard into the skin of his back, and he sighed with pleasure. He began slowly, allowing my body to get comfortable to him. For my first time, it didn't hurt as badly as I'd been told it would, though it did hurt terribly. Gradually though, the pain subsided and he began to move faster and faster. Just like that, all the discomfort was gone, replaced by an almost animalistic urge for him to go quicker, drive deeper into me.

"Oh, Charon...harder." I growled out the demand in his ear as he breathed heavily into my own. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, pulling him down to crush his lips against mine. Soon, too soon, I climaxed. My body quaked all over as I experienced pleasure I'd never felt before. He didn't stop, bringing me to ecstasy once more before he finished as well. He removed himself and laid down on the bed next to me, both of us panting. I moved to rest my cheek against his broad chest.  
"You're the strangest human I've ever met," Charon said, wrapping his arms around me. I snuggled closer to him. "...falling in love with a ghoul. As if humans didn't hate us enough. Do you know how pissed they'll be to see you with someone like me?" I rolled my eyes. Not caring in the slightest what the rest of the world thought of Charon. To me, he was perfect.  
"Let them." I whispered sleepily. Charon's grip on me tightened.  
I heard him say one final thing before dreams overtook me. "I love you."  
When I finally woke up, Charon was gone.


	11. Eleven

Couldn't believe I had been so stupid! Why did I trust that he'd stay? I'd given him everything and now he was gone from my life forever. To top it all off, he'd ruined my jumpsuit! Now, I was utterly alone, and naked! Swinging myself off the bed, I picked up the remnants of my clothing. "Ugh!" I huffed, tossing the ruined garment across the room and falling back on to the bed. How could Charon do this to me? After everything we had been through, after I had told him I loved him? I stared up at the metal ceiling, feeling numb. I was at an utter loss of what I should do next. Did it even matter anymore? My heart was broken. I just laid there and waited for the inevitable tears to start falling.

"What're you doing?" Charon appeared in the now open doorway. Realizing my current state, he quickly moved into the room and shut the door behind him. My heart nearly burst with happiness. I knew he'd never leave me! I rushed to him and leapt into his arms, causing him to drop whatever it was that he was holding, and pressed my lips to his. After pulling my mouth away, I folded my arms over my bare chest and frowned.  
"Where were you?" He bent down to retrieve the object that had fallen from the ground then handed it over to me. "What's this?" It was a piece of thin, leather armor with a pair of black pants folded neatly on top of it.  
"As much as I enjoy the sight of your body, I don't really want to give everyone else the same pleasure." So I guess he'd realized that my jumpsuit was deceased, thanks to him.  
"How'd you get this? We don't have any caps."  
"I traded some of our medical supplies. I think this warranted it." I, of course, agreed wholeheartedly. I wasn't showing off my bosom to all of Rivet City. He continued to stare down at me, making no move to leave the room to allow me to dress. I tightened my grip around my chest.  
"Charon!" I scolded.  
"Sorry." He said quickly, coming back to his senses and stepping out of the room. I rolled my eyes and smiled, typical male. I may have been giving him a hard time, but that's what he gets for scaring me half to death! He could have at least woken me up to tell me what he was doing instead of playing the disappearing act! As quickly as I could, I dressed myself in my new attire. It wasn't as airy as my jumpsuits, but it would have to do. I strapped on my belt and secured my sword and gun in their place, then walked out of the bedroom. Charon was waiting for me outside the hotel. "Jebs wasn't in his room." He said, sounding a bit worried. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Charon may have actually cared about the little ghoul's well-being. The disappearance of Jebs did seem rather odd. When we asked Ms. Weatherly for his whereabouts, she hadn't the slightest idea either. She did mention, however, that a scientist by the name of Dr Li was looking for me. Evidently, Father Clifford had informed her that I was searching for my dad.

"Such a nice man." I said to Charon as we made our way to the science lab Ms. Weatherly had directed us to.  
"Right." Charon replied bluntly. I gave him a quizzical look.  
"You don't think so?"  
"I don't think you'd be saying that if you heard him yesterday." He paused, as if recollecting the memory himself, "let's just say, he wouldn't approve of our venture last night." Wait, was he saying what I think he was? I had wondered what caused Charon's sudden change of heart about our arrangement. That sneaky old man had put him up to it! I felt like a fool. If there was one thing I disliked more than murderers, it was manipulators. That guy didn't know me, what right did he have, sticking his old, wrinkled nose into MY business. I would definitely be paying him a visit later, and it certainly wouldn't be pleasant.  
"Never liked that guy." I stated with a scowl. Charon only laughed. We walked into the science bay. Large generators took up most of the room, there were computers all over with an egg-head sitting at each one. Several tables sat in the center, filled with test tubes and microscopes. I was getting bored just looking at this stuff. Needless to say, I didn't inherit my father's interest in science.

A middle aged woman with brown hair tied back in a bun noticed our entrance and approached us. "Lily?" She questioned, causing me to widen my eyes in surprise.  
"How do you know my name?"  
"I was there when it was given to you. My name is Doctor Madison Li. James and I were colleagues." She knew dad? That was great news, if she was the one that decided to contact me, though, it was likely that my father wasn't here. My face fell and Dr. Li knew right away that I understood that my dad was gone. "I'm sorry you missed him, but I can tell you where he's headed." Great, more chasing. If I didn't know any better, I'd say my father was trying to run from me. He definitely wasn't making finding him easy.  
"Please, anything you can tell me would be great." I prompted.  
"He was looking for information on the G.E.C.K., a man named Braun created it," What the hell was a G.E.C.K., I mused. "He wanted to find the professors notes. I believe he said he was going to vault 112." So my dad risked his life escaping vault 101, just to go right back in another? Where was the logic in that? The idea of returning to one of those underground prisons didn't really sound like an enticing prospect, but time was of the essence. Dr Li marked the location of the vault on my pipboy. I grimaced when I realized just how far we would have to travel to reach the place. It was located to the west of Tenpenny Tower. The trip would take us at least two days. "James wants to bring Project Purity back to life, he's willing to go to any lengths to do it." Dr Li explained. Yea, including abandoning his own daughter.  
"Are you part of the project?" I asked. Dr Li frowned.  
"Don't you know anything about it?" I didn't, in fact. My father had kept me completely in the dark about all of this. Maybe this project was more important to him than me, or he had some other motivation for not telling me. I had thought my dad and I had a very honest relationship with one another. After all, I'd tell him everything that was going on in the vault. "Project Purity existed before you were even born. When your mother and father had you, and Kathrine died, your father left for vault 101. He abandoned the project." I wasn't even born in the vault? My father had failed to mention that to me as well! How could he lie to me? "Now he wants to start again. After leaving everything behind." Dr Li sounded bitter. So I wasn't the only one dad had let down. Dr Li sighed aloud. "I hope you find him before he gets himself killed." That was my hope as well. We said our goodbyes to Dr. Li and left the science bay, there wasn't much more to talk about anyway. We had to get moving.  
"Are you alright?" Charon asked. I wasn't sure how I felt. My father had deceived me, I wasn't even sure what to consider real anymore. What else my father had hidden from me, I could only guess.  
"I'm fine." I replied.  
"He wanted to protect you, Lily. Sometimes, people hide things from the ones they love to try and keep them safe." Of course, Charon would understand my dad's reasoning. After all, he'd hidden things from me before too, though it had only managed to put me in even greater danger.  
"I know." I smiled slowly. Men could be such pains.

I informed Charon that we'd be making a stop at the Saint Monica's church before we departed. I had hoped to run into Jebs before we left, but I hadn't spotted him anywhere as we traveled through the corridors of the ship. I was going to miss that drowsy little fool.  
"What're you planning?" Charon asked me with a suspicious gaze. I just snickered. He would see soon enough. When we made it to the church, I halted in front of the doorway. Evidently, some sort of sermon was in session, for the many pews in the room were filled with people. Father Clifford stood at a podium at the front of the crowd. He was in the middle of spewing some sort of religious jargon. When he noticed me, he halted his speech, a large smiled spreading over his face.  
"Minx, how are you my dear." I didn't smile back. Instead, I pulled Charon so that he was in full view of everyone, grabbed him by the back of his head, and brought his mouth down hard on my own. I felt the muscles in his body tense as I did so, but he didn't pull away. I could hear more than a few shocked gasps as I allowed the kiss to drag out for several seconds. When I finally released Charon, I licked my lips and gave him a wink. I was really starting to enjoy this newfound sensation of excitement. Charon would have to be careful. I looked at Father Clifford to see his face stricken with horror. I stuck out my tongue at him, grabbed Charon's arm, and strolled away.  
"Always the trouble maker." Charon scolded.  
"That felt good." I said, feeling victorious. "I can leave happily now." Charon shook his head and sighed but didn't say a word as we exited the ship. Hopefully good ol' Saint Monica wouldn't be too upset with me. I couldn't afford to have any more people out to get me. All in all, Rivet City wasn't such a bad place. I preferred it greatly in comparison to Tenpenny Tower, which we would have to pass by in order to reach the vault. We'd likely have to make a stop in between here and there to rest. Well, I definitely wouldn't be gracing the tower with my presence ever again. The only choice left to us was Megaton, which was fine by me, I needed to check on my stuff anyways.

"Minx!" Someone called out my name as Charon and I finished crossing the extended bridge back into D.C. Charon and I both looked around for the source of the voice to find Jebs leaping from cover behind an old, ruined phone booth only a few feet away with a gun in his hands, aiming it straight in my direction. I didn't even have time to let out a scream before Jebs fired. Lightning fast, Charon grabbed me in his arms, spinning me around until he stood in between me and the oncoming bullet. After the sound of the gunshot quieted, there was an eerie silence.  
"Charon!" I cried. My heart felt frozen as I stared at him. Why had Jebs turned on us like this? If Charon died, Jebs was going to be following him shortly! He didn't look back at me, his gaze was fixated on something beyond me. "Charon!" I said again, attempting to shake him into his senses. He must be going into shock! A slow, easy smile spread over his face. You know, for a guy that just got shot, he was taking it rather well. He released his hold on me and turned around to regard Jebs. I examined his back, but found no bullet hole, as I'd been expecting, thank goodness.  
"Nice shot." He said to Jebs, who was walking over to us as Charon spoke. I was so confused until I turned to look in the direction Charon had been staring. There, laying on the ground in a pool of blood, was a corpse. So Jebs hadn't tried to kill me? What a relief."How did you know they were waiting for her?" Charon asked, patting him on the back. Jebs smiled shyly.  
"I went out for a walk after the best sleep I've ever gotten. There were two of them then. I heard them discussing their plan and offed one of them once they were alone." Now, that was a surprise. Here I'd thought Jebs was as incompetent as assassins came, but it seemed I had been mistaken. He'd managed to take down two Talon mercs on his own, I was impressed. Also, thankful that he was on my side.  
"This was too close of a call. We need to do something about Talon Company." Charon said grimly.  
"How are we supposed to do that? We don't even know why they want to kill me in the first place!" I replied, moving over to the dead body to search it for anything useful. I was a scavenger, after all, and this guy wasn't going to be needing any of his stuff anymore.  
"What, you don't know?" Jebs questioned. He made it sound like the reasoning should have been obvious. "But Charon, I thought you were the one that was told to do it in the first place."  
"I was." Charon confirmed, "Ahzrukhal said Talon Company was paying big for her death. That was it. You know?"  
"Well, for starters," Jebs began, raising a hand into the air to begin counting the reasons my demise was necessary, "you're the daughter of a man that wants to purify the water in the wasteland: Talon Company doesn't like that," What a stupid reason! Was I supposed to believe these guys were actually okay with drinking shitty irradiated water? Jebs went on, "You disarmed the bomb in Megaton, which brought a lot f attention to yourself as the little miss saint of the wastes," I actually sort of liked that title, "you give water to homeless people."  
"Oh, come on now!" I interrupted, pausing my looting. "Who even saw that? Am I being stalked?" So they disliked me for being a good person: excellent reasoning, I thought. Why trouble yourself with murderers and bandits? No, the real horrors of the wastes were the good samaritans.  
"Oh, and these guys were talking about how you'd refused to do what a Mr Tenpenny said, and that he'd offered up a huge reward for your head, literally. That's why they were here." That rat bastard! I should of had Charon rip him to pieces when I had the chance. No wonder he'd looked so smug when I'd left. Hoping to my feet, I kicked the corpse violently. I wasn't finding anything of use on this guy, only furthering my frustration with the entire situation. "The only way to stop them from hunting her is if they think she's dead." Jebs said to Charon, who folded his arms and nodded his assent.

"So you tell them she's dead."  
"I kind of need my head, Charon. It's a vital part of my anatomy." I butted in. Charon sighed aloud and pinched the bridge of his nose.  
"Thank you for pointing that out. I'm sure Jebs can think of a way. Say he lost the body at a point or something." That plan didn't sound very full-proof to me, but I was willing to try anything that allowed me to keep myself in one piece.  
"It could work." Jebs agreed, nodding his head. I was a little surprised that he was agreeing so readily to help me. Perhaps, I was more charming than I thought. He and Charon discussed the details of their plan. Charon and I would head straight to vault 112. We couldn't stop in Megaton, for we couldn't risk someone seeing me that worked for Talon Company. Jebs would head to Fort Bannister to turn in the bounty at their headquarters. If they believed him, all the hit men that had been dispatched for me would be recalled and he would meet us back in Rivet City, as it was the safest location to lay low. Still though, what was I supposed to do after that? If someone from the company spotted me, they would not only be after me once again, but Jebs as well.  
"You don't have to do this, Jebs." I told him. He grinned at me warmly and patted my shoulder.  
"Ms Weatherly told me you rented me that room. No ones ever cared enough to do anything for me. It was the best sleep of my life. And that pillow..." he looked wistful for a moment before returning his attention to me. "Fluffed to perfection." I giggled. I was an excellent fluffer. Still, it didn't feel right to send him off by himself on my behalf. If something happened to him, it would be all my fault.  
"How will we know if you're okay?" I asked. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, cylindrical device.  
"It's a distress beacon. I'll give you the frequency for your pipboy. If you hear it, you'll know something went wrong."  
"And we'll come for you." I promised solemnly. Jebs chuckled.  
"I'm glad I'm on your side."

We said our goodbyes to Jebs, I made sure to give him a big hug, and then we headed our separate ways. Charon and I went back into the metro station. When we passed by where we had originally found Smash, but he was gone. I wondered what'd happened to him. Most likely, he'd moved on to another section of the tunnels to squish some more mole rats and ferals. The thought made me grin. We stayed quiet for most of the trip. Charon was a little more tense than usual, something I didn't think was even possible. He said he had to be certain that no one could get the jump on us. We passed by the Super Duper Mart to see the same bodies laying outside its doors, birds pecking at them. I tried to keep my eyes on the road and not that horrific memory. Charon moved to block my view of the building until it was far behind us.  
"Rivet City was too close of a call. If Jebs hadn't been there.." He didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he stopped walking. I immediately thought that we were in some kind of danger. When I looked around though, I saw nothing but open road. Without warning, Charon grabbed me up and hoisted me into the air until my face was leveled with his. He brought his lips to mine, his wet tongue entering my mouth. Kissing him back. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, my heart accelerating. It wasn't anything like my playful kiss at the church. This was filled with overwhelming passion and need. The sweet taste of his tongue was intoxicating. I could feel myself beginning to want more of him, but he pulled away and placed me back on the ground. "I'm sorry."  
"Don't be sorry!" I replied hurriedly, then licked my lips, "Ohh, that tastes good. What is that flavor? You got some candy somewhere you're hiding?" Sharing is caring Charon, I thought. He chuckled.  
"No."  
"I guess it's just you I'm tasting. May I have seconds?" I asked coyly, twirling my hair around my finger and batting my big, dark blue eyes. He huffed out a sigh, reaching out his hand to caress my cheek as he lowered himself for one more kiss.  
"Are you trying to turn me feral?" He asked with a smirk when the kiss ended and we continued walking. It was strange. After last night, a part of me feared that things between the two of us would change. I'd seen it before in the vault. A guy would win over a poor girls heart, just to take advantage of her then throw her away like yesterdays garbage. It was one of the reasons I'd closed myself off to most everyone in that hole. For the most part, I had come to realize that men just couldn't really be trusted. Luckily for me, Charon wasn't like that. He was the best thing that had ever happened in my life. Lucky for him too, because I'd have killed him if he'd tried to swindle me out of my pants!

By the time we passed by Megaton, the sun was just about to rise, signalling the next morning. I was exhausted from the day-long travel, but we couldn't stop. Seeing the massive steel structure made me think of Jebs. He'd seemed so fragile to me when we'd found him. The change one day of sleep had made was astonishing, practically unbelievable, but it'd happened. He'd managed to take down two trained killers on his own, and for my sake. The friends I had made out here gave me hope for the wasteland. From a brainwashed killer, to an assassin, to a freaking Super Mutant: they all turned out to have good hearts. Everyone had some good in them, if it was allowed to be let out. I prayed for Jebs' safety. Charon noted my worried expression. "He'll be okay." He said. I hoped so. As we continued our trek, I began to hear a very faint call from somewhere, but when I looked around, I saw no one. Charon heard it too, for he was equally as perplexed as to what it could be. The call continued on for quite some time before it became more audible. I couldn't catch all the voice said, but I distinctly heard the words 'tiny human'. We stopped moving and turned around to see a Super Mutant charging forward in our direction, but it wasn't just any super mutant. Even from a distance I could see the mighty hammer strapped to his back and a black jumpsuit tied to his neck.  
"Smash?" I called out in astonishment. He quickly closed the distance between us, standing before me with an enormous smile.  
"Smash found tiny human!" He cooed triumphantly.  
"You sure did." I replied, giving Charon a confused look. Charon shrugged his shoulders, then brought his attention to the Super Mutant.  
"What brings you out he-" Charon's question was interrupted when Smash wrapped his massive arms around him and hoisted him into the air, hugging him. The action caused my eyes to widen in surprise. I never thought it would be possible to make Charon appear small, but in the Super Mutant's arms, small was exactly what he was.  
"Smash miss grumpy ghoul and pretty human. Smash follow scent. He smell human from tunnel." The mutant explained, placing Charon back on the ground. Charon apparently hadn't enjoyed the hug as much as Smash, for his mouth was pressed into a thin line, causing me to laugh out loud. "Smash want hug human. But scared he break you." He said, settling for reaching his hand out flat to me. I placed my own in his. If Charon was little compared to Smash, I was a mouse. My entire hand fitting hardly bigger than a few caps in his. "Smash come with tiny human?" I considered the proposal. Did I really want a giant mutant following me around with all these dangerous monsters, perverted serial rapists, and bounty hunters out to get me? Yes, yes I did. I nodded my ascent and Smash clapped his hands together. "Smash not disappoint. Smash kill anything that try to hurt pretty human." Of that, I had no doubt.

With our newest arrangement settled, we went on our way. We ended up stopping at the old shack the scavvers had been a few days prior to get some rest. Smash offered to take the first watch so Charon and I could sleep. Charon, of course, refused and only slept a short while after I had awoken, saying that he would have to see to my safety himself. That was our only stop and it turned out that it was a good thing we had done so. After passing Tenpenny Tower, there was practically nothing but wasteland for quite some time. When we finally happened upon a large set of dilapidated buildings, my pipboy dinged, letting me know the vault was nearby. We followed the map to a small, red building with a large port on one side and the words 'Smith Caseys Garage' written at the top in large, steel lettering. We went inside the building. There were toolboxes and large machinery strewn about the old, dusty garage. In one corner was a big trap door made of steel with a switch near it. I was guessing that must have been where the vault's entrance was. I approached the switch, but turned to my companions before pulling it. "Smash, you should probably wait out here. If this vault is inhabited, I don't think they'd give you the warmest welcome." Smash nodded his head in agreement and moved over to one of the chairs to have a seat. I did feel a bit bad for leaving him all alone out here, but it was better to be safe than sorry. I pulled the switch and watched as the steel door creaked open. Sure enough, the vault door was on the other side. Charon and I both drew our guns and went into the vault cautiously. The main entrance looked almost identical to the one in 101. The walls were white, there was a single table with a computer sat on top of it, and a room off to the side, likely stocked with vault suits. There was one door in the room, a straight shot from where we entered. I made for it at once and it opened on it's own as soon as I came into the sensors range. On the other side of the door, a Mr. Handy was waiting for us. "Welcome to vault 112. All residents are required to wear these vault suits before continuing further." One of its mechanical appendages presented two jumpsuits for us to take. The fact that this thing was still functional gave me hope that the vault was indeed inhabited. I accepted my own suit readily enough, but when I tried to give Charon his, he eyed it distastefully.

"Not happening."  
"All residents are required to wear these vault suits before continuing forward." The Mr Handy repeated. I gave Charon a meaningful look. There was no getting out of it, and I was pretty sure he had realized that. He took the suit with obvious disdain. I giggled. Then began walking back to the main entrance.  
"Where are you going?" Charon asked, pulling off his leather top.  
"I'm not just gonna show off my goodies to this metal heap!" I heard Charon sigh as I went around the corner and quickly swapped attire. When I came back around, Charon was waiting for me. The suit did seem a little tight on him, and I had to admit aloud, "I don't mean to be blunt. But that getup is pretty sexy on you." Charon still didn't smile, his disapproval quite clear.  
"It's constricting." He replied in a rather flat tone. The Mr Handy unit ushered us in to the next room, square in shape and filled with large, white pods of some sort. Most of the pods were closed with a big, black dome, making it impossible to see inside. Only two pods remained open.  
"Please step inside the pod to complete your orientation." Now that, I wasn't so sure about. The apprehension Charon had been radiating infected me as well. I wasn't claustrophobic or anything, but something about trusting myself to anything made by Vault Tech put me on edge.  
"What does it do?" I asked.  
"Please step inside the pod to complete your orientation." The Mr Handy repeated.  
"What is the orientation though?"  
"Please step insi-"  
"Is that all you can say?!" I raged, stamping my foot with indignation. What a pile of junk! There was a long silence in the room as I stared down the Mr Handy. It's eyes zoomed in and out of focus at me before it spoke again.  
"...Please step inside the pod to complete your orientation." I hated this place and I hated this robot. An exasperated sigh escaped me as I climbed into one of the pods. I motioned for Charon to follow suit, though he didn't seem too keen on the idea.  
"Just do it so this stupid robot will shut his yap already." I demanded. Charon hesitantly followed my instructions. Once we were both securely in the pods, the large black dome came down. A bright light appeared before my vision, causing me to squint. Then, out of no where, the overwhelming feeling of fatigue hit me, making every moment hat I managed to keep my eyelids open a struggle. "What the." I said drowsily as everything swirled into blackness.

"Lily, Lily! Are you okay?" I came to my senses at the sound of Charon's voice. I was laying flat on my stomach, my head resting on something soft. Opening my eyes, I realized it was lush, green grass, the kind I had only read about in books. Stuff like this didn't exist anymore! At least, it wasn't supposed to.  
"What the hell is going on?" Damn robot had tricked us, drugged us then dumped us off goodness knows where. My father would be long gone by the time we figured out how to get back. I rose to my feet. Orientation, my ass.  
"What happened?" Charon asked.  
"Dunno, but when I find that pile of bolts I'm going to-" I turned to reply to him but when I SAW him my mouth dropped. "Oh my god Charon, you're human!"


	12. Twelve

The man before me had Charon's voice, but that was the only thing that remained completely the same. His hair was very thick, though it had the same deep red shade as Charon's. His skin was sun-kissed, his nose long and chiseled, and his lips a healthy pink. The eyes were definitely his own though; a deep brown, and the lips were set in that same perma-frown I had come to love so much. I was more than a little confused, and Charon looked as if he was going to faint when he looked at his own fleshy hands. "But...how?" He asked, flabbergasted.  
"Quite simple really." A child's voice woke myself and Charon from our stupor. Standing before us was a little girl with short blonde hair and a frilly pink dress. She wore a large, mischievous grin on her face. "You may be a ghoul, but your DNA is still human. My program has returned you to your former self." His former self? So this is what Charon looked like before he was turned? He was handsome. Back when he was still human, women probably threw themselves at him all the time. Even the thought enraged me. What a bunch of hussies.  
"Program?" Charon asked, staying on topic. "What're you talking about?" The little girl snickered, throwing out her arms wide.  
"I made this place. Welcome to Tranquility Lane!" We stood in a small playground in the center of a round road encircled with houses. Everything was pristine and completely undamaged. Even the people I spotted walking around were all clean and well dressed. It was like the Great War had never touched it. I marveled at it all, I never thought I would ever see something so beautiful. The little girl approached a set of red swings and took a seat. "It is something, is it not? I have to ask though, why have you come?" I brought my attention back to her. For a child, she certainly didn't act like one. This entire situation was just so odd.

"I'm looking for my father, his name is James." I explained. The girl laughed immediately upon hearing the name.  
"Oh, he was being a snoop. I didn't like that. He had to be punished!" My blood chilled at her words. This kid sure was creepy, and what did she mean by punished? Before I had a chance to respond, she pointed over to a single tree that stood only a few feet away from us. Beneath it was a large, brown dog. When it saw me, it jumped up and ran straight for me, its tail wagging wildly. It stopped before me and I pat it's head. I never saw many friendly dogs around, and this one was extremely excited to see me.  
"A dog?" I questioned, utterly confused.  
"Your father." The girl said in a mocking tone. My eyes bulged.  
"Dad?!" The dogs face lit up as it barked once. This little psychopath had turned my father into a dog! How was that even possible? It'd taken me so long to find him, and when I finally did, he'd managed to turn himself into a mongrel.  
"Don't worry. He is only this way in the simulation. I told you, I had to punish him for snooping around in my personal belongings." Wait a second, my father had come to vault 112 to find some scientists research. This little girl seemed like quite the whizz kid, and if she could change the way other people looked in this simulation, then she might have been able to change her own form as well. Look at me, playing detective and what not. Dad would be proud if he wasn't preoccupied with being a crotch-licking pup.  
"Who the hell are you?" I demanded, grabbing the hilt of my sword. The girl scowled at me with disapproval.  
"Like father like daughter, it seems," She spoke in a voice entirely different than before. It was deep like that of a mans, "Professor Braun. Now that introductions are out of the way, I have a proposal to make you." If this guy thought we were open for negotiations, he was dead wrong. I was taking my father and he, Charon and I were getting the hell out of here. As if reading my thoughts, Professor Braun continued, "You can't leave until I allow you to do so. Either you'll have to get used to your new home, or you'll have to do as I say." I stared don the man hiding behind a little girls face with open disdain. He had me beaten, and he was all too aware of it. I didn't have much of a choice but to play his game. He laughed, his voice returning to that of the little girl's. "Great! We're going to have so much fun!" He exclaimed, clasping his hands together, "First task is to go make Timmy Neusbaum cry!" I gazed at him in confusion. This had to be some sort of joke or something. First off, I didn't even know who this Timmy person was, and even if I did, I wasn't in the habit of making people cry. More importantly, why was this even remotely important?  
"Why would I do that?"  
"Do you want out or not?" Braun asked indignantly in his real voice. I sighed with frustration, turning away from Braun and back to Charon. Although I had already seen that he'd been made human, it was still a surprise to me when I looked at him. It wasn't that I didn't find him attractive, he was gorgeous, but it just wasn't the same as the ghouly face I was accustomed to.

"Let's go," I said out loud as I led him away, then in a quieter tone that Braun couldn't hear, I added, "there has to be another way out of here." Charon halted after we had made it across the road and onto the sidewalk.  
"Why do you want to leave so badly?" He asked with genuine curiosity. That could not have been a serious question. I feigned contemplation.  
"Well, I dunno. Maybe because my dad's a friggin' dog?!" I hissed, pointing over at the pooch that had returned to sit under the tree.  
"If we could get Braun to change him back. We could stay." Charon was obviously suffering from some sort of simulation madness. "Lily," He persisted, seeing the apprehension on my face, "I'm normal here." My firm stance faltered. Charon wanted to stay because he was human? Did he think I would find this version of himself better? I placed my hand on his smooth cheek. It felt strange.  
"I like my ghoul lover best. I'm already missing your real face, you just don't scowl as deep when you're human." I teased, brushing a finger against his soft lips. Charon frowned.  
"I'm serious."  
"So am I," I countered, "I love you, Charon. I love who you were when I met you: a big ass ghoul with a scowl on his face. I wouldn't trade that for anything." He still didn't look entirely convinced, but he left the conversation at that. Tranquility Lane was a nice enough place. The residents seemed fairly happy with their arrangement, though when I spoke to one of them and mentioned the simulation, they had looked at me like I was completely insane. It got me thinking: are the people in this program real? Were they the ones filling the others pods? If so, I wondered how long they'd been down here, and how they didn't get bored in this tiny settlement over time. If it were me, I'd likely have gone mad by now.

We ran into a small boy next, who stared up at us with suspicion. "Who are you?" He asked. I crouched down to be at the same level as him. My track record with children wasn't good so far, so I put on an extra sweet face this time.  
"My names Minx and that's Charon, what's your name?" The little boy hesitated before responding.  
"Timmy. My parents said not to talk to strangers." Well then they would be very disappointed in you little Timmy, I thought, because you approached me first. Timmy: this was who Braun wanted me to make cry? What the hell was wrong with him? It was just a kid. Maybe TImmy or his family knew more about Braun and could give me some kind of information to get the hell out of this place. Out loud, I said, "Of course, of course. Maybe if we were introduced to your parents, then we wouldn't be strangers anymore?" There had to be someone in this pit that knew of a way out. Timmy agreed to my plan and led us back to a two story home with a white-picket fence. He opened the front door and immediately my senses were assaulted by an intoxicating aroma.  
"Mom's making dinner." Timmy said, rushing into the kitchen. This caused me to wonder: if one eats in a simulation, does it go to ones real life waistline? Was it even possible to eat at all in a virtual world? I was going to have to find out because I was starved. Charon and I entered the kitchen to find a woman with short, dirty blond hair wearing a long, blue dress. She was pulling a large hunk of meat from the oven when she noticed our entry.  
"Oh, we have guests!" She wiped her hands off on her apron and approached us, hand extended. "I'm Pat Neusbaum." I shook her hand first, giving her an introduction of both myself and Charon. She shook Charon's hand as well, though she didn't release her grasp on him as suddenly as she had to me. "Oh my." She said, batting her hazel eyes at him. "So nice to meet you." Sounded like little Timmy's mother was looking for a beat down. I quickly stepped between the two of them.  
"So what's that you cooked? It smells great." I decided changing the subject would be better than hitting her across the room. She looked a bit displeased by my interruption but put on a polite smile.  
"It's meatloaf. You two are more than welcome to stay and have some!" Meatloaf, I mused, was that some sort of fusion of all sorts of meat? Again, she directed her words at Charon. I had to bite my lip, or else I'd have said something inappropriate. Charon looked to me for an answer. I wrapped my arms around one of his and gave Pat a meaningful look. Back off lady, I thought. "We'd love to stay."

"I'll go get dad!" Timmy said, rushing out of the kitchen. Yes, please do go get your father. Maybe Pat will be forced to control herself when her HUSBAND was present.  
"You're father is at the Rockwells, dear. He'll be back later tonight." Pat said, looking pleased with the arrangement. Great, how convenient for her. Dinner with the Neusbaums went well enough. The food was delicious, I was shocked that I could actually taste it. Charon stayed quiet for most of the meal. I kept catching Pat giving him looks from across the table and he didn't even seen to notice. The topic of discussions were odd. Evidently, these people didn't realize they were in a simulation either for when I'd casually brought it up, Pat and Timmy both looked like they were at a complete loss as to what I was talking about.  
"So Timmy," I began, deciding to try a new tactic, "do you know the little girl that was in the park earlier?" Timmy looked ill at ease as he replied.  
"Oh, yea. That's Betty, she's really mean."  
"What does she do that's mean?" I questioned.  
"She just picks on me a lot, and she's kind of scary. I don't like playing with her." So he often liked to make this poor boy suffer. What was wrong with this Professor? He was one sick bastard. From the look of discomfort on his face, I could tell Timmy really didn't want to discuss "Betty" anymore so I ended the conversation at that. "So, Charon. What do you do for a living?" Mrs Neusbaum asked, casually cutting her meatloaf, thought she kept her eyes on him through half closed lids. I gazed at Charon with concern as a long silence ensued. The look on his face told me immediately that something was amiss. His jaw was tense, eyes unblinking. He was holding his utensils so tightly that his fists were trembling.  
"Charon?" I asked slowly. It looked as if he was in physical pain, I wasn't sure what to do. The Neusbaum's were beginning to get concerned as well. "Excuse us for a moment?" Pat nodded her head and told us there was a bathroom upstairs if we needed it. I didn't think Charon was going to be ill, but I grabbed his arm and led him up the stairs and into the restroom, shutting the door behind me. "Are you okay?" I asked. He was beginning to shake all over at that point, instead of just his hands. Charon stepped over the the small medicine cabinet that hung above the sink to stare at his own reflection. "You're starting to scare me, Charon." I walked to his side and placed my hands on his back, rubbing gently. I'd never seen him act so strangely before. His face contorted in pain. In a trembling voice, he spoke. "I remember."

\------------------------------------------------------

It was a warm night. The moon sat high in the sky above a large settlement of shacks. There was a stone well located directly outside, it was their only source of water, though it was likely irradiated. Charon lowered the bucket into the well. He was doing his best, but he wasn't sure that it was enough. They had followed the signs and found the place well enough. It wasn't as nice as where they'd once lived, but it was better than the alternative. After pulling the bucket back up, he stared into the murky water at his reflection. His messy, reddish-brown hair was matted to his forehead from sweat. He was exhausted from the days patrol, but it was the arrangement he and the mayor, Sam, had agreed upon to allow them to live there, so he wasn't going to complain. The sound of shuffling feet brought him back to reality. "Brother?" He turned around to see a little, brown haired girl with small pig tails and a pink night gown. "What are you doing out here all alone?" She ran up to him and he lifted her into the air.  
"You should be in bed, Lissa." He scolded, but smiled anyway. Lissa's eyes narrowed and she stuck out her tongue at him. He chuckled and picked up the water bucket with his free hand and headed back to their shack, passing by several of the other homes in the settlement as they went.  
"I don't like it here." Lissa said, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck. Charon understood. The mayor seemed more than a little shady as did some of the residents, but so many people flocked here every day for refuge, it had to be safe. They had only been there for a few days, he figured that Lissa was just homesick. After he made some caps from his daytime watches, he would move Lissa into a real city with walls surrounding it. That ought to keep her safe.

The inside of the shack was big enough to fit two beds, an area to store food, and a small restroom. Charon sat Lissa down on her own bed, then took the bucket to fill up their water bottles. "Do you miss mom and dad?" Lissa asked, breaking the silence. Charon's mind drifted to his mother and father's faces. Their mother had been sick for some time, her old age catching up to her. Their father spent most of his time tending to her, which left Charon to watch over Lissa. They simply weren't prepared to defend their home when the raiders came. Charon had wanted to stay and help his father fight the bastards off, but his father had refused.  
"You're the only one that can keep Lissa safe. Run!" That was the last thing his father had said to him before shoving him and Lissa out the back door to their home as the raiders came bursting in. Charon had lifted Lissa into his arms and ran as fast as he could. They were both forced to hear their parents dying cries as they fled. For the longest time, Lissa refused to speak, even to him. This had been the longest conversation they'd had since the incident.  
"I will always miss them." Charon replied. After he finished his task, he turned back to Lissa. "You should get some sleep. I'll be right back, need to take this back over to the well." Lissa nodded and laid her head down on the pillow, though her giant green eyes remained locked on him.  
"I love you, brother." Charon smiled sadly. She was so young, too young to have suffered through what she had. Charon was surprised and proud of how well she had managed to cope. Having her with him was the only thing that kept him going.  
"I love you too." He replied, then he shut the door of the shack and made his way back to the well. He didn't make it far before he was stopped by none other than the mayor himself. He wore his usual leather duster and sleek black shoes.  
"You're out late tonight." He said, smoothing out his snowy white hair. Charon didn't respond. He realized that Sam wasn't alone. Three men approached from the shadows behind him. They were all dressed in dark green and black armor. What the hell was going on, he wondered. Charon gave the mayor a suspicious look. "Don't be like that, Charon. After I gave you a home? Don't you know how to show gratitude?" Sam smirked, showing off a set of teeth littered with silver fillers. Charon despised this man, everything about him gave Charon a reason not to trust him. "Look, I need you and that sister of yours to come with me and my friends here." Charon's blood turned to ice at once. He knew something was wrong the moment he'd been approached by Sam. Whatever these guys wanted, there was no way it could be anything good. He made no move to obey the mayors command, neither did he respond. "Hey, meathead, are you deaf? I said go get your sister. Now." Sam snapped his fingers and his entourage armed themselves with guns. Charon's eyes widened. His fears had been warranted. He turned slowly on his heels and headed back to the shack, considering his options as he did so. There was four of them, three of them were armed. Charon didn't have a weapon. The gun he used during his patrols belonged to the settlement and he returned it at the end of every shift. Every scenario he played out in his mind, he ended up dead.

Lissa was asleep in the bed when he opened the door. He moved to her and shook her with a gentle hand. Lissa's eyes opened slowly and she yawned.  
"Lissa, you need to get up," Charon turned back at the open door to see the mayor and his guards approaching. "When I tell you, I need you to run," Lissa's drowsiness disappeared instantly at hearing his serious tone. She opened her mouth to reply but he placed a finger over her lips, "shh, you understand?" He asked guards were getting closer. Lissa nodded, though Charon could see the fear hidden in her eyes. That would have to suffice. Whatever these sick bastards had planned, Charon would die before he let them touch Lissa. He helped her to her feet, then moved out of the shack. Sam was waiting for them.  
"Wonderful, the gangs all here," the mayor used his hands to gesture for the two of them to begin walking back towards his office, "now let's go shall we?" Charon took a few steps forward, feigning compliance. Once the men's guard was down Charon struck. He brought his elbow up and smashed it into the nearest man's face, using his other hand to snatch the gun from his hands. Blood flew out of the guard's nose as he went falling to the ground.  
"Run, Lissa!" Charon shouted as the other men trained their guns on him. He managed to shoot another man before a sharp pain entered his shoulder. He cried out and grabbed at the gaping wound that appeared. Another shot hit him in the gut, and he dropped to his knees from the agony, gripping both his wounds as his warm blood poured out freely. Charon didn't care if he died, so long as Lissa was free, that was all that mattered to him. He stared down at the bloodstained earth, the burning in his shoulder and stomach proving too much for him to be able to move. The slim, black dress shoes of the mayor came into his view.  
"Now, Charon! You just cost me some very expensive help!" He grabbed a large chunk of Charon's hair and yanked hard, forcing Charon to look up at him. "You're a wild one. Knew it was the right call to take you in separate from the rest." A terrified shriek rang out, but it was quickly muffled. Charon's eyes widened. "Lissa!" He called out. Two more men approached. They carried Lissa in their arms, one of their hands covering her mouth. "Bastard." Charon managed to hiss through clenched teeth. Sam looked displease.  
"Figured you'd try to give me the slip somehow. I was ready for it." He rose back to his feet, sauntering over to Lissa. "Even the wildest beasts can be broken." The men sat Lissa on the ground, though they both kept tight holds on her arms. The little girl struggled to free herself, but to no avail. Sam glanced in Charon's direction with a pitying frown on his face. "It didn't have to be this way, but you gave me no choice." He pulled out a pistol from his coat.

"No!" Charon roared in protest, trying to bring his body back onto it's feet, ignoring the overwhelming pain from his wounds. The remaining two guardsmen took hold of Charon, forcing him back on to his knees. He didn't have enough strength left to fight them. His blood was still draining from the open wounds, and he could feel himself growing light headed. The mayor laughed at Charon's display, then turned his eyes and his gun to Lissa. "Let me show you boys how to properly break a free spirit." Charon didn't stop struggling, he fought, he shouted, he even tried calling for help. There were hundreds of people here, surely they could hear him, there had to be someone who was willing to help them. Try as he might, no one came to their rescue. Lissa's giant blue orbs met his. Tears began pouring from both their eyes. Lissa's trembling lips mouthed the word, "Brother," just before a gunshot sounded and a red hole appeared in the center of her forehead, causing her to jerk back violently, then her small body went limp. The men that had been holding her released their grasp, sending her lifeless form falling to the ground. Charon felt his mind snap. He screamed at the top of his lungs, forcing himself onto his feet, ripping himself free from one guard and using his now free arm to grab the other by the throat and squeeze with all his strength. The man's eyes bulged as he struggled to find his breath, his nails digging into the flesh of Charon's arms. Charon was beyond feeling the pain from his wounds. He could almost feel the bones in the guards neck breaking. He tossed him to the ground and set his sights on Sam, his rage fueling him on. He was so preoccupied however, that he didn't notice one of the guard's had recovered and was approaching until it was too late. He stabbed Charon's neck with a large needle and emptied its contents into felt a wave of dizziness and fell on one knee, though his gaze remained on the man responsible for Lissa's death. With what little strength he had left, he lunged for the man, wrapping his hand into a tight fist before slinging it forward, smashing into Sam's nose. Blood exploded from the impact, sending the man reeling. Charon was preparing for another attack when his vision began to swirl. He shook his head violently in an attempt to rid himself of the feeling, but it only became worse as the seconds passed. The mayor, somewhat regaining his composure even with his face matted in his own blood, spoke to Charon in a mocking tone, "Night, night." Then everything went black.

Charon wasn't sure where he was when he'd finally returned to his senses, but he hardly cared. His regular attire had been replaced with a simple pair of white pants. The holes in his body had been tended to, he noticed the white bandages wrapped around his bare torso. He sat in the corner of a room that was comprised of four white walls, a large metal door, and several vents on the ceiling. He wasn't alone, there were at least two dozen others in the room. He recognized most of them as refugees, like he and Lissa had been. Lissa, the thought of her name sent a sharp pain through his heart. He clenched his teeth. That son of a bitch would pay for what he'd done to her. Just then, one of the walls began to rise, revealing a pane of glass. Behind it stood the mayor himself with a large patch over his nose, as well as a large man with thinning grey hair and a black suit. The sight of Sam's injury brought Charon grim satisfaction.  
"Hope you're all nice and settled in there," the mayor began with a crooked smile. Charon wanted nothing more than to burst through that glass and choke the life out of the slimy cretin. "This is Mr. Anders. He owns the Talon Company and is the head of this little project." Talon Company, Charon hadn't ever heard of them before. The man next to the mayor folded his hands behind his back and took a step forward. "You're all going to be apart of a wonderful new experiment. I am very excited about it." Nervous muttering began filling the room. Charon wasn't afraid of anything this man had to throw at him. He was just biding his time for the moment he could strike. "As we speak, various amounts of radiation have been pumped into the room," the nervous mumbles became outraged cries. Charon chuckled. So they were going to kill them all anyway, he mused. He wasn't too bothered by that either. He didn't have much to live for anymore. "What does it take to survive lethal amounts of radiation? This," he pointed to the ground, "is where we find out." The vents on the ceiling began to emit a steady hissing sound, Charon could only guess that it was radiation being filtered into the room. Mayhem ensued, people began screaming like madmen, practically throwing themselves at the glass. Charon remained in the corner, watching it all happen. Didn't these people realize the futility of their efforts, he wondered. Better to save their strength for when it was most needed.

He couldn't tell how much time had passed, but after a while, the chaos in the room dwindled. People began moving more sluggishly, even Charon started feeling the effects of the radiation. His skin began to burn as if he'd been lit on fire. He caught the mayor's eye then. The man was watching him with a smile on his face, waiting for Charon to elicit some reaction to the torture, no doubt. He wasn't going to give him the pleasure. Instead, he clenched his jaw and stared back with hardened determination. The pain only worsened as time went on. It was as if his skin was rotting off of his own body. The agony was crippling, it was worse than how he'd felt when he was shot. Others in the room were effected differently. Some began vomiting up their own blood, others were already dead, then there were the few that were experiencing the same thing as Charon, as their bodies began to look more and more like horrible scorched monstrosities. By then, the wall had been replaced where the window once sat. Charon scoffed, guessing that the two pompous men didn't have the stomach to watch their own work playing out. Charon shut his own eyes to it as well. He knew panicking wouldn't make the situation any easier. If he did turn into a ghoul, he had to be prepared, or else he might lose himself and go feral on the spot. He couldn't afford that, not until he got his revenge for Lissa. As more time passed, Charon didn't know how much, the noise in the room became almost silent. He opened his eyes to see more dead bodies. The few that remained alive had indeed turned into ghouls, but they had already gone mad, feasting on the flesh of the deceased around them with bloody, gnarled claws. Charon look at his own charred and ruined hands, but remained at ease, counting himself lucky to have survived. The burning sensation had left, so the worst part was over. The ceiling's vents stopped emitting the hissing sound. Instead, a thin mist began coming out. A robotic voice announced, "Decontamination in progress." So it was finally over, Charon mused, rising to his feet at last.

The ferals in the room looked up from their meals as he passed them, but quickly went back to work on the corpses, not interested in his presence. Charon made his way to the metal door, assuming that someone had to be paying him a visit. He could only hope it was the mayor. After the vents had finished their work, Charon heard a latch undoing. A smaller section of the door, about a foot wide and long opened up, revealing two small iron bars. On the other side of them, to Charon's grim satisfaction, was Sam. "Well, well," the man said, stepping up close to the window, "Charon? Is that you? You're lookin-" Charon didn't allow him to finish his sentence, thrusting his arm through the opening of the bars and latching on to the mayor's neck. A choking cry of alarm sounded from the man's throat. Charon didn't relent, instead, he tightened his grip even further then yanked the mayor forward, slamming his face into the metal door. He didn't stop, this was what he'd been waiting for ever since that fateful night. Over and over, he forced the mans face to smash into the metal until blood matted him entirely. Charon paused for just a moment. The man before him wasn't so cocky anymore as he wheezed for breath, blood pouring down his face. Charon smiled at him before tightening his grasp even further, bringing the mayor's head to the metal repeatedly until his body felt limp.  
"What a display!" Someone said as Charon dropped the lifeless corpse to the floor. He looked to find Mr. Anders approaching the door, though he was smart enough to remain out of Charon's grasp. Charon stared at the man in confusion, wondering why he had allowed him to murder his own comrade right in front of him. As if reading Charon's mind, Mr Ander's said, "I heard about your sister. Nasty business, that. Sam here handled it all quite poorly. He needed to be put to justice." Charon said nothing, continuing to stare at Mr. Anders. Killing Sam had brought some measure of pleasure to him, but it would never give him what he truly wanted: his sister.

His eyes softened as he thought of her. She had always told him that when she was older, she wanted to be just like him. If only she could see him now, see the monstrosity he'd become. She wouldn't idolize him then, she would fear him. "I can't give you what you've lost, but what I have given you is a new life!" A new life, Charon thought, I never asked to be relieved of my first one. It had been stolen from him. Charon felt the rage resurging inside of him.  
"Fuck you." He said through clenched teeth, slamming his fists against the door. Mr Ander's frowned, then made a motion with his hand and a woman appeared. She was dressed in all white and had short, red hair.  
"Wipe him. I don't want a single memory left. After that, you know what to do. I need him ready in a week." Wipe his memory, Charon mused, was such a thing possible? The woman nodded to Mr. Anders, approached the door, then quickly took out a small, clear syringe. "This won't hurt a bit." She assured him. Before Charon could reply or move away from the window, she reached her hand quickly into the cell and jabbed he needle in his neck. Charon had felt the sensation before, and knew it would take but a few seconds for his vision to fade into nothingness.

\---------------------------------------------

I listened to Charon's story intently, my eyes filling to the brim with tears. He recounted the events in such detail, I felt as if I was there experiencing it with him. His entire life had been ruined by those men. Charon laughed sarcastically. "I've always wondered what my life was like before I turned into this. Now I wish I'd never found out." My heart was breaking for him. What he had suffered, I could never even imagine the pain he must have felt, was feeling right then. He moved to the edge of the bathtub and sat down, a single sob escaping him. I'd never seen Charon look so sad, so vulnerable. I wanted nothing more than to take away his hurt. I went to stand before him, caressing his head in my hands and laying it down on my chest. That was when he let go. All the duress he felt during his tale escaped him at once. He cried, not only that, he sobbed like a man that had lost everything. In a way, I suppose he had, it just wasn't until now that he realized it. He wasn't alone now though, I would always be there for him. Silent tears poured from my own eyes as his body shuddered from his pained cries. We didn't speak, I just stood there holding him. I wouldn't let him go until he was ready for me to, no matter how long it took.


	13. Thirteen

Once Charon was feeling better, we headed back downstairs. We had decided to go back to dear old professor Braun for some answers. Charon suddenly regaining his memory was more than a little strange. If that creep was poking around in our minds, he was in for it. Pat and Timmy were sitting on a set of grey furniture in the living room below. Once Mrs Neusbaum saw us, she jumped to her feet. "I do hope that you're feeling better. I was worried!" She said clasping her hands together and smiling widely at Charon. She was back to acting like I wasn't even there. Great, this again.  
"We've got to be going now, but it was great meeting you." I said with a serene smile, though inside I was thinking something much less polite.  
"But you've only just got here! You two should stay, relax a while." Pat protested. She even went as far as to take Charon by the arm and gently tug at him. My eyes locked on to that hand. I unconsciously reached for the sword at my hip. So help me, woman, I will end you.  
"You've disrespected your husband enough for today. Or do you think he would approve of your actions?" Charon commented in a bitter tone, wrenching himself free from her grasp. He seemed to be gradually recovering from the events in the bathroom, though I could still see the turmoil he felt in his eyes. Obviously, he'd recovered enough to dish out a bit of sass. Pat's mouth dropped open at his words. Really though, she should have been thanking him for saving her life. I released my grip on the sword.  
"I beg your pardon?" She asked indignantly as if she was, in no way, acting inappropriately for a married woman. Timmy moved forward on the couch, his thin, brown eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I had almost forgotten he was there with how silent he'd been.  
"What does he mean by that?" Charon opened his mouth to explain, but I quickly placed my hand on his arm to stop him and stepped forward. Timmy and I understood each other. As a child, he needed someone to gently explain the situation, and everyone knew I was the queen of smooth deliveries. Leaning down with my hands on my knees, I spoke to Timmy in a perky tone.  
"He means dear old mommy is trying to cheat on dad." The face of the little boy fell as he took in my words, then it contorted into sadness and a long, low wail escaped him. He pushed off the couch and ran up the stairs, crying all the while. Charon sighed aloud. "What? What'd I do?" I asked defensively. Hey, it wasn't my fault the kid was so squishy. He was the one that'd asked, after all. If his own mother felt comfortable enough to act like a floozie in front of him, he should have been tough enough to handle what I had to dish out. After watching her child scurry away, Pat wasted no time turning on us as the offensive party and demanded that we leave at once. We were already halfway out the door at that point, for Charon had begun herding me in that direction the moment Timmy had started running up the stairs. "Have I told you already how great you are with kids?" Charon asked sarcastically once we were back on the sidewalk. I shushed him.

Even from here, I could see the wide, satisfied smile on Braun's face. I took Charon's hand and led him back to the playground.  
"Timmy's such a cry baby, isn't he?" Braun asked in the little girl's voice as he removed himself from one of the seats on the swing set. Ugh, it was still excessively creepy that a grown man would pose as a child like that. Even more unnerving was what Timmy had told me about him. 'Betty', evidently, was not a very nice playmate to the little boy. What Braun had against Timmy, I couldn't even begin to guess. It seemed to me like he relished the boys misery.  
"How did you know he cried?" I asked. Braun cackled in his own voice, wrapping his thin, pale arms around his stomach as he did so.  
"I own this place and its residents. Nothing happens to them without me knowing about it." He said it with complete confidence in its validity. Great, not only was he a creepy man-child, but he had a superiority complex to boot. "Charon seems popular as well," he added smugly, "perhaps my next task will involve Mrs. Neusbaum?" I glared at him. That would only happen over my dead body.  
"We aren't here about your ridiculous requests," I pointed an accusing finger at him. "You been poking around in our minds? Huh?" Taking a step closer, I threw my hands out wide, "you putting memories in our heads?" Oh, this guy was in for it. People thought I acted like a wasteland brute? Well, Braun was about to see one if he didn't start talking.  
"What are you going on about?" Braun asked indignantly, shuffling back from me. "I can't do anything to your mind."  
"Oh yea? So am I to believe that Charon's magical memory recovery was all coincidental?"  
"Memory recovery you say?" Braun questioned, his ears perking, "you say he remembered a lost memory? Fascinating." Braun began muttering to himself so quickly that I couldn't even begin to guess at what he was saying. He started pacing back and forth as he contemplated. Charon and I simply watched him, waiting for him to continue speaking. Braun stopped abruptly then, snapping his tiny fingers in victory. "Perhaps being reunited with his old form has brought back what he had once forgotten. Quite interesting, but hardly relevant to my plans." He said, shooing the conversation away with a gesture, though he had seemed completely engrossed with the topic just a moment ago. "Let's get back to things, shall we." My brow furrowed. Not only was I not ready to drop the subject of Charon's memory, I also didn't plan on continuing these ridiculous requests.  
"We did what you asked, Braun," Even if it was by mistake, I thought to myself. "Now let us out of this nightmare. We're done."

Braun didn't look pleased by my demand. His tiny features contorted into a scowl. "You're starting to annoy me. Perhaps Charon can take up the tasks in your stead." What the hell was that supposed to mean? If he was trying to threaten me, that would be an extremely bad idea with Charon by my side. He just continued to glare at me without saying a word. I was about to speak when I realized my vision was getting lower.  
"What the?" I looked at the rapidly approaching ground, panic setting in. What was he doing to me?! I heard Charon's startled cry as well, only furthering my panic. I heard my sword fall to the ground and the next thing I knew, I was being suffocated by the cloth of my own jumpsuit. I quickly pushed through the fabric and my eyes were met with the white dress shoes of Professor Braun. Then I heard Charon's voice.  
"What the hell did you do!" The stamping of a foot near me caused me to jump, a loud squeak escaping me. Why am I squeaking, I thought, opening my mouth to continue to shout at Braun, but nothing came out except another round of eeping sounds. "You turned her into some kind of fuzzy..." He seemed at a loss for words. What did he do to me, Charon? What have I become!?  
"A rabbit." Braun stated matter of factly. He turned me into a rabbit? What the hell was a rabbit anyway!? I noticed that a small amount of the metal of my sword had slid out of the sheathe from the fall. I dared to peek into the reflection it cast. Staring back at me was a pair of beady black eyes, a pick twitchy nose, and a fluffy white body. My new mouth let out a mournful cry, revealing a pair of long, rectangular teeth.

Charon quickly lifted me into his arms and pressed me to his chest as my tiny new body shuddered. Why me! Why had I been singled out?! I opened my tiny mouth to wail in sorrow. "Don't worry, it's not permanent. Once you do what I ask, you will all be ejected from the simulation and returned to your normal form."  
"That's not gonna work for me." Charon said in a grim tone, taking a step towards the professor. I wouldn't want to be Braun at that moment. He was about to receive the ass whooping of a lifetime. I let out a satisfied eep to signal my approval. Braun only laughed.  
"You can't harm me, if that's what you're getting at. This is MY simulation." He reached down to retrieve a tiny insect off the ground, then placed it in the palm of his hand. The small bug began running around in circles, appearing wildly confused by it's new surroundings. "You see, I control all these people. If I want them dead," He smashed his hand shut, and I could hear a distinct crunching sound. "I kill them." He opened his hand to reveal the green gooey splat that had once been a living creature. "Then, when I feel like it, I bring them back for more fun." Suddenly, the goo pile in his hand began to warp until the bug reappeared, looking completely unscaved. What the hell? So not only had he trapped real people in this hole, he was killing and resurrecting them just for fun? I'd met a lot of crazies in my day, but this guy was definitely taking the cake for biggest psycho of a lifetime. I wasn't sure if we were in the same boat as the others or not, but I didn't want to take the chance. I mean, I was already a damn rabbit. Charon had no choice but to agree with whatever Braun wanted next. He sat me back on the ground and I hopped over to take a seat on his massive boot. We were doomed unless Braun's next instructions were to maim someone. Of course, I didn't REALLY want that to happen. Besides, Braun seemed to enjoy doing that himself. "My next task: destroy the Rockwell's marriage. Simply enough, right? My personal favorite method would be if one were to end up deceased. Nothing ends a marriage quicker." I opened my mouth to reply. No, that wasn't simple at all! You're asking us to kill someone just for your own sick entertainment! Of course, all that came out was, "Eep! Eh ee eep eep!" My protests were completely ignored, so really, not much had changed other than my appearance.

"Sure, whatever." Charon agreed, shrugging his shoulders. What? Charon you cannot be serious! I lifted my hind leg and hit his boot rapidly with it. A giant hand reached down and lifted me into the air and brought me level with Charon's face. "Do you want to stay like that forever?" He had a point there, but still, there had to be a way out without causing these people even more distress. That and I wanted to irk this crazy professor as much as possible, and there was no better way to do that than to completely disregard his orders. After all, a man that thought he could play god must have been used to getting his way. Well, it wasn't going to happen this time. Charon wrapped me safety in his arms and headed back to the sidewalk. I was a bit nervous to see how things would go with Charon at the lead. He'd always simply followed whatever it was that I wanted to do. This was going to be interesting to say the least. "Don't make that face." Charon said, patting me on the head. I squinted my tiny black eyes up at him. I would not be subjected to this, I may be fuzzy and a foot tall, but I still had my dignity! I let out the most intimidating 'eep' that I could. Charon chuckled, using his index finger to scratch the back of one of my floppy ears. The sense of euphoria was almost instant. My back leg began twitching involuntarily as he continued to itch the sweet spot. Well, I suppose I could stand a little subjection, so long as it was at the hands of the man I loved. I relented my irritated stance. "That's better." He said, securing his hold on me. I cuddled into Charon's chest as he walked.

We came upon a house with a large flourishing garden. I could hear the sound of rapid snipping as Charon drew nearer. I peeked over his arm wearily and spotted a Mr Handy. He was trimming a large, square bush. It's that damned robot, Charon! The one that tricked us!  
"Eep eep, ee eep!" The Mr Handy ceased its task and turned its mechanical eyes on us.  
"Hello there! Are you here to visit Ms. Henderson?" The Mr Handy hovered closer, one of it's big, mechanical eyes inching in my direction. I glared and stuck out my tiny tongue at it. "Why I never!"  
"I'm trying to find the Rockwell's residency." Charon stated bluntly sighing loudly and taking a step away from the invasive bot.  
"Quite right! Two houses down, sir." The Mr Handy used one of his appendages to point us in the right direction. "Do you need me to handle that pest problem for you?" Was he referring to me? That's it, you bucket of bolts, I thought, taste my fury! I launched off of Charon with my hind legs and went straight for the robot. The Mr Handy cried out in alarm and raised an arm that ended in a huge circular saw. As I flew through the air, I began to regret my decision. Maybe I was a tiny bit outmatched here. Fortunately, Charon's open hand found a hold on my floppy ears before Mr Handy's buzz saw. I huffed a sigh of relief as Charon carried me away, still holding me by just my ears. Now I know what you're thinking, Charon. "Eehh e eep ee eeh epp eep." Reckless? Maybe. I do feel like I got my point across to him though, don't you think? "Eee e eep ep ehh." Charon looked at me with a displeased expression.  
"Do you want to make it out of this simulation alive?" Though I was pretty certain the question was rhetorical, I did my best to nod once, though the task proved difficult when Charon had a death grip on my ears. "Then please, don't try to fight anyone else." Fair enough, I suppose. That guy was totally asking for it though. He shook his head and rested me back on his arm.  
"Excuse me." Charon turned towards the source of the call to see an elderly woman with short, grey hair and a worried expression on her face. "Did I hear you say something about a simulation to that rabbit?" Charon and I looked to each other, not sure what to say. This lady probably thought Charon was insane if she saw him speaking to me. Charon stumbled over a reply, but the old woman continued. "Don't worry, I know none of this is real." My ears perked up. I knew there had to be someone in this crazy place that knew what was going on! "No one else believes me but, please! You can stop this endless nightmare!" The old woman pleaded. What had Braun subjected these people to over the years? It had to be horrendously traumatizing for her if it caused her to break free of Braun's spell. My heart went out to the poor woman. To finally know the truth and have absolutely no one believe you: it was a curse.  
"Sure, if you know a way." Charon replied. The old woman clasped her wrinkled hands together, though they shook violently as she did so. A tired smile spread over her face. Everything about her spoke volumes about how truly exhausted she must have been. We had to stop this.  
"The abandoned house over there," she pointed out an old building surrounded by a broken brown fence and sporting boarded up windows. "He's watching," she whispered, "he knows when we go near it, but you, he won't be able to see. There has to be something in there!" The old woman looked around nervously, then said one final thing before departing, "please, give us the mercy we've been waiting for."

With that, she went on her way as if we'd never spoken. Charon wasted no time making straight for the abandoned house. I could tell by the urgency of his steps that he was feeling the same way I did about the poor woman. Overgrown hedges littered the ill-tended yard. A certain kind of eeriness filled the air around it. The feeling of unease that filled me was most likely more of Brauns tricks. Charon, evidently, wasn't being effected, for he didn't falter in his approach in the slightest, opening the door and boldly stepping in. The interior of the home was in just as bad a state as the outside. Random objects littered the room. On a broken tv sat a gnome and a glass pitcher, then there was a table littered with old newspapers and empty nuka cola bottles. In the far corner sat a blue couch with several springs sticking out of it and a leather glove laid abandoned on its cushion. Charon placed me on the floor and began exploring the rest of the house. In the meantime, I made myself busy, trying to find anything of use in the filthy room. I hopped up onto the table and nosed through the newspapers. They were all too weathered for me to make out any words, so I pushed them away. My foot accidentally came in contact with one of the nuka cola bottles, knocking it off the table with a loud thud. Oops. Charon rushed back into the room to see me frozen with one foot raised in the air and eyes bulging. He frowned and walked over to retrieve the fallen bottle and replace it on the table. As he did so, a single note sounded throughout the room. "What was that?" Charon questioned. We waited for a few seconds, but no more sound came. Then an idea struck me. I raised my hind leg and sent another bottle flying off the table. Charon gave me a disapproving look. Didn't he understand what I was trying to do? I jutted out my neck in the direction of the bottle, then stamped my foot on the table to communicate my instructions. He understood then, taking up the glass and placing it back where it had once been. The note chimed again, except this time it was followed by a two toned buzzing. I gave Charon a meaningful look, well, I tried to anyway, I wasn't sure what this fuzzy faces limitations on expressions was.

He seemed to be catching on, for he flicked the same bottle and once again, causing the first tone to play. "A music puzzle or something?" I nodded once, hopping off the table and scurrying over to the couch. After climbing it, I picked up the glove in my mouth and shook it violently before tossing it back down. Another lower tone played, then was followed by the two-toned sound. Ugh, so that wasn't right. Charon flicked the bottle once again and waited for me to make the next move, leaning against the table and crossing his arms as he watched me expectantly. So he wanted me to do all the work? Hmph. I rolled my beady eyes, leapt from the couch, and made my way to the television set. Stretching out my body as much as I could, I punched the gnome setting on top of the TV. Another tone played, then the room went silent. Yes, now we were getting somewhere. I tried hitting the pitcher next, but it was no good as the dinging was followed by the two toned note. We repeated the steps in the same fashion until the song was completed. A cute little jungle played out before a computer appeared in the corner of the room. Success, I thought. Charon approached the computer and examined the screen. "Activate Chinese Invasion fail safe?" Well that didn't sound pleasant. I hopped over to him so he could pick me up and let me have a look myself. Sure enough, written across the clean screen in bold font, there was the only option available to us. At this point we didn't have much of a choice as to what we could do next. Obviously, we couldn't just continue being Braun's puppets. Who knew how many more ridiculous tasks he had in store for us, and it may only be a matter of time before Charon was turned into an animal himself. At least the word 'fail safe' was promising, sort of. I nodded and Charon activated it. Immediately, loud sirens began to wail. Over the sound of that came gunfire and shrieks of fear. My eyes widened. I didn't know what I was expecting, a peaceful takeover maybe? Well, what was done was done. We could only hope that this was the right choice to make.  
"What have you done!" The voice of Braun echoed in my ears, causing me to physically start. Charon spun around and we came face to face with the man himself- still posing as 'Betty'. "You've ruined everything!" His tiny features were contorted with rage, his cheeks a bright shade of red. "Now I'll be stuck here alone forever!" Hey, YOU are the one who installed the button, genius, I thought. It was nothing less than what he deserved! After torturing all those people for so long. Braun screamed angrily and lunged for me.

Before Charon or I could react, there was a bright flash of light, then utter darkness. The gunfire and sirens had disappeared as well. I could hear the mechanical creaking of a machine, then a horizontal light cut across my vision. It then grew, revealing that I was back in the vault. I quickly checked myself to see if I still had my fluffy appendages to find my good old ghostly white complexion. Seriously, I needed to get more sun, but still, I'd never been so happy to see my own arms before! I practically floated out of the pod to find Charon, MY Charon, appearing from his own. "You're back to normal too!" I cried with elation as I ran over and leapt into his awaiting arms. "What a relief." Charon chuckled and placed me back on the ground.  
"You know, most people probably wouldn't call ghoulification a 'relief'." I rolled my eyes at him but smiled anyway. That was exactly what seeing him was to me. It meant I really was back in reality. As I continued to look into his eyes, I noticed the same mix of emotion buried deep within them. I wanted to discuss Lissa with him, for I knew that was what caused that look, but it was a topic that would have to wait until after we got out of this place.  
"What happened to the others?" I asked. None of the other pods that I could see from here were opening. Could that mean they were still trapped?  
"They're dead, Lily. It was the only way to free then from Braun." My eyes widened. That voice: I would recognize it anywhere. I turned my head to see my father approaching in slow, easy strides.  
"Dad!" I cheered, quickly meeting him the rest of the way and embracing him tightly. We stood there for a long time, my eyes filling with tears of joy. I had actually done it. After all this time, I'd found him. I felt like my heart was going to burst from the overwhelming joy. Feeling his arms around me; it was a sensation I had feared I would never feel again. At length, he gently let go, looking me over from head to toe with a wide smile.  
"Look at you, you're growing up so fast." He took his fingers and ran them through my thick hair. "I've heard about some of the things you've done. Your mother would be so proud of you, Lily." So even my father knew what I was up to? He knew I was out here in the wastes all along, and he didn't try to come find me or even to contact me somehow? My happiness turned inevitably to resentment. "I can tell you're not happy with the way I handled things, but please understand." My eyes narrowed. I was pretty sure the situation called for a little anger on my part. Though I had promised myself not to get angry with him, it was proving a difficult task. "There are people out there that do not agree with what I'm doing. If they knew about you, they would come after you." I gave Charon an unsurprised glance.  
"Little too late for that one, dad. We've been dodging bullets for a while now." He looked genuinely shocked by that. I couldn't help but relent my previous stance. He was just trying to protect me, he failed miserably but hey, at least he tried. I didn't give him time to question me about what I meant. "This is Charon by the way, he was with me in the simulation."

Dad looked behind me at Charon and seemed confused, scratching the back of his head. "Charon, you say? He's-"  
"My boyfriend, yes." I interrupted. 'Boyfriend'? Uck, what was I, ten? There had to be a better word for him than that.  
"I was going to say a ghoul. He was human in the simulation." Yea dad, I thought, and you were a dog and I was a friggin' rabbit. Could he really say that he was shocked by this? "And did you just say boyfriend?" His easy expression turned stern as he crossed his arms and stared me down.  
"What?" I asked defensively.  
"You've never even had a boyfriend before, and now you tell me you're with a ghoul. I don't even know if that's safe. Before you go any further, just let me run some-" Oh no, I did NOT like where he was going with this. I wasn't about to let him turn Charon and I into some sort of science experiment.  
"Agh, dad, we've already gone as far as it is possible to go, will you stop it already?" Jeez, I was about to die of embarrassment over here. I could see Charon smirking out of the corner of my eye, only furthering my mortification. Why did he always think my suffering was amusing?  
"Sex? I didn't even know you knew what that was."  
"Dad!" I slapped my hands over my face to hide my reddening face. My father was treating me like I was still a child. I had survived in the wastes for quite some time now, I was pretty sure if I could handle raving lunatics and mutated monsters, I could figure out on my own what intercourse was! Dad sighed aloud.  
"You always were a handful, you know that?" He pat me on the shoulder and moved over to stand before Charon. Even he had to crane his neck back to look into Charon's eyes, which caused him to glance back at me with raised eyebrows. "Hmm. Well then. So long as my daughter is happy, I can be as well." He stuck out his hand and Charon accepted it readily. Well, besides the embarrassment, this was going better than I could have ever hoped.  
"That is my goal. It is nice to meet you at last."  
"Likewise." My father replied. After introductions were over, he began discussing his next move. "I didn't expect to find Braun still alive. He's gone completely mad, torturing those people all this time. You saved them from that when you activated the fail safe." I hardly considered what I did 'saved' anyone. It was more along the lines of 'mercy killing'. Still, better than being stuck in an infinite loop with that psycho lording over you, I suppose.  
"Did you at least find the G.E.E.K?" I asked.  
"What? You mean G.E.C.K? No, it wasn't here. I need to get back to Rivet City and talk to Madison. If I can convince her to give the project another chance, we can head to Jefferson Memorial after that."  
"We?" I echoed. "You want me to come with you?" Dad smiled and nodded his head.  
"Of course. It was foolish to try and leave you behind in that vault. I should have known you'd be after me. You're as stubborn as your mother." Damn right I was. Charon, my father and I all exited the vault together, but not before Charon had a quick wardrobe change. I didn't attempt to hide my saddened expression at seeing him return to his leather attire. I didn't say anything aloud, though. I wanted to avoid anything that could lead to my father humiliating me again. When we exited the vault, I introduced my father to Smash, who was still waiting patiently for our return. He jumped to his feet upon seeing us again.  
"Tiny human back! Smash waited just like he supposed to." He said, slamming a fist against his chest.  
"I see that! Sorry about the wait, big guy. Things didn't go as planned."  
"A super mutant?" Dad asked, looking skeptical. He eyed the brute from a distance, making no move to step away from the door back into the vault.  
"He's harmless, dad. Trust me." Smash nodded his head in agreement and gave my father a toothy grin. Well played, Smash. "We should start moving now." I took a look at my pipboy screen to mark Rivet City on my map when a beeping sound began to play. A small, red light also started to flash in one of the corners of the device. I gazed at it in confusion as Charon quickly stepped forward.  
"It's Jebs. He activated the distress signal."


	14. Fourteen

The night air whipped violently against us as we perched on top of one of the many towers that surrounded Fort Bannister. The place was overrun with Talon mercs. Lucky for us, we'd managed to get the jump on a few guards patrolling the outside of the fort, which was how we'd acquired our new attire. The green armor and helmets we wore was enough to fool the other Talon mercs, at least at a glance. The moment I'd realized what the beeping from my pipboy signaled, I was ready to go after Jebs. Unfortunately, that meant leaving my father to travel back to Rivet City alone. It was the last thing I wanted, of course. I had finally caught up to him after all, but it was something that had to be done. I promised Jebs that I would help him if anything went south. We went our separate ways after agreeing to meet back up at the Jefferson Memorial. I'd hugged my father tightly and wished him a safe journey before we parted.

Smash had accompanied us to the fort as well. From the high tower, I could make him out hiding behind a large boulder outside the fort walls. Back inside the camp, in the center of a large training ground littered with shacks, was a platform with a single noose swinging in the wind. A group had gathered before the platform as a man in all black with a large cigar in his mouth stepped up onto it. He threw his hands out wide to silence the chatty crowd. "You all know why we're here. It's come to our attention that someone out there has tried to swindle us." He said, gesturing to himself then to the group with a bemused expression. The crowd laughed along with the mans banter. "We don't like that, no sir, and we can't have other people trying to do the same. We gotta get our message across to the masses," his face became serious as he moved over to glide his gloved hand against the rope, "don't screw with Talon Company." The crowd loved that. They hooted and cheered as others chanted out their cults name. The entire display disgusted me. They were all so proud to be part of an organization of murderers. Just then, a door to one of the shacks nearest to the platform burst open, and a man appeared, dragging a battered body behind him. My heart stopped at once. It was Jebs, and he looked awful. His face had bruises all over, one of his eyes was swollen completely shut, and dried blood stained his shirt. They'd been beating him? Jebs had come after me to murder me, and even I hadn't wanted to hurt him for it. The guard shoved Jebs, who went slowly forward until he stood on the platform in front of the swaying noose.

"They're going to kill him!" I hissed to Charon. I was about to leap to my feet, but Charon grabbed me by the shoulder to stop me. He shook his head, slowly rising to his feet and moving to the ladder to begin his descent. Did he think I was just going to let him go in alone? It was my fault Jebs was in this predicament in the first place. "Just...wait." I said, trying to come up with some sort of plan as quickly as possible as my eyes scanned the inside of the tower. There was nothing up there but a few dusty old crates containing goodness knows what. We were severely outnumbered, even if we had the element of surprise, I didn't see this ending well. Already, one of the men was sliding the noose onto Jebs' neck. Time was running out fast. "Shit!"  
"Lily, there's no time!" Charon growled out. My mind was racing a mile a minute as I weighed my options. There was only one plan I could think of, and Charon was not going to like it.  
"Go. I'll stay up here and signal for Smash to come." I grabbed his head and planted a kiss on his lips. "Try not to get shot, will ya?" Charon grinned, then turned away from me and went down the ladder. I watched him as he stealthily made his way closer to the platform, hiding behind the large crates that littered the fort grounds. Once he was safety out of the line of sight of the huge gathering, I rose from my position on the tower.  
"Hey, jerk wads!" Everyone, including Jebs and Charon looked at me in surprise. "Minx and Company sends their regards!" I proceeded to stick out my tongue at them. The crowd erupted in fury.  
"It's her!" Someone shouted. "Kill her!" Suddenly, weapons appeared in their hands. That was my queue. I dove to the ground as a torrent of bullets flew into the tower. Now crawling, I moved to a crate whose lid had been pulled open. At this point, all I could really manage was to keep the mob busy long enough for Charon to save Jebs. After that, well, I hadn't really thought that far ahead yet. Inside the crate was various assortments of grenades. I thought back to the book I'd read in the vault on explosives. If I was recalling the image in my mind correctly, the one that I picked up, a circular grey one, was a smoke grenade. If I could get enough cover from it, I could get down the ladder and aid Jebs in his escape. Yanking the pin out, I tossed it over the tower railing. A few moments later, the gunfire ceased and an explosion sounded, followed by loud shrieks.

Uh oh, so that wasn't the smoke grenade. I felt a wave of nausea hit me as the sound of pained cries filled my ears. Shaking my head violently, I attempted to dispel the horrid feeling. I hoped no one was seriously injured, but at that point, I could hardly afford to care. "You're dead, bitch!" An angry voice shrieked, and the gunfire continued on. The same voice as before called out to me again, this time it sounded much closer. "I'm coming for you!" I looked to the ladder, which was the only way to get to the top of the tower, to find five filthy digits grasping the top rung. A moment later, a man's head appeared. The hell you are, I thought, jumping to my feet and rushing forward. I slammed my boot straight into his face with as much force as I could muster, sending him flying from the ladder. After which, I had to immediately revert back to ducking, for the bullets continued to come.  
"No one hurt tiny human!" I could hear Smash roar. He must have caught the mob off guard, for they ceased firing long enough for me to rush back to the grenade crate and fish out a long, cylindrical one. Okay, I was eighty percent sure this was, in fact, a smoke grenade. When I raised my head to seek out the crowd, I realized that they'd turned their full attention on Smash. With his giant hammer in hand, he charged them. Bullets flew into him, but it didn't seem to affect him at all as he continued to drive forward, swinging his hammer down hard on the closest mercenary's head. Blood splattered everywhere as the man's head exploded. By that time, Charon had freed Jebs from his bindings and was supporting Smash with his assault rifle. Jebs, who was obviously in no condition to fight, simply crouched halfway behind a crate, watching it all happen. It felt almost like the same scene from before. Me, cowering behind cover while my battles were fought for me, just like at the Super Duper Mart. It may not have been so long ago, but I almost felt like a different person than I was then. This time, I was the one that was going to do the saving. In my own way, of course, no mass piles of bodies if I could help it. I unpinned the grenade and tossed it over the edge. To my relief, there was no explosion sound this time. Instead, an enormous puff of smoke blasted the battlefield. I quickly slid down the ladder, but not before grabbing a few more grenades, then made my way around the edges of the smokey cloud. Charon and Jebs had been far enough away from the fight to not be engulfed by the screen. I motioned for them to follow me and rushed for the fort's exit.

"What about Smash?" Charon asked as he jogged alongside me, Jebs in his arms. I didn't slow my pace.  
"OH OUCH, NO! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!" I shrieked in a pitiful voice. The ensuing roar told me that Smash was going to be just fine. After the sound of outraged stamping got louder, I dared to look back and see Smash hot on our heels. With all of us out of the fort, it would only be a matter of seconds before the horde began to pursue us. Using my teeth, I tore a pin from one of the few grenades I'd snatched and catapulted it behind me. The few of the mercs who had managed to make it out of the smoke had to quickly dive out of the way of the ensuing explosion. We continued to run until the fort was far behind us. My breath was coming in short, shallow gasps by the time we finally stopped in front of a small gas station. "What...a rush." I wheezed out, bending over and resting my hands on my knees. Charon placed Jebs back on his own shaky legs and stomped towards me, grabbing hold of my arm and violently yanking me around the other side of the building. "Ouch! Stop, Charon you're hurting me!" I protested, trying to pull away from his vice. He released my arm once we were out of sight of the others, then turned on me, his eyes blazing.  
"What the hell were you thinking!" He growled, towering over me. I instinctively shrunk away from him. I'd never seen him direct such ire at me. What'd gotten into him? "In the list of irrational things you've done, that display tops them all!" He took another menacing stride closer to me, but I continued to move away from him. I didn't understand why he was so mad! We'd all gotten out alive, isn't that all that mattered?  
"I...I just wanted to help." I replied, averting my gaze from him.  
"By getting yourself killed?" He countered. I shut my eyes hard, my heart beating rapidly in my chest. Genuine fear surfaced inside of me, fear of what he'd do next. He looked so angry, it was paralyzing. I couldn't even open my mouth to respond to him. A long silence ensued, then I felt the back of his hand brush gently against my cheek. "I can't lose you too, Lily." My thoughts immediately went to Lissa. Now that his memory of her had been restored, he was likely combating all sorts of new emotions he hadn't felt since his memory wipe. I had never lost someone like that, other than my mother but I'd never even met her. Charon's pain was something I couldn't even imagine myself. I embraced him. Even that felt like an inadequate form of comfort.  
"I'm sorry." I said, rubbing my hand against his back, "but I'm not helpless, and I need to stop acting like I am." Charon broke away from our embrace and looked me over fondly.  
"You don't look like you were hurt. That is good." He scratched the back of his neck. "I apologize. I have not been feeling like myself." I nodded in understanding and I was willing to be patient with him. If he ever needed anything, I would be there for him. Looking back at how our relationship began, I never would have thought that it would turn into something like this. The man I looked at now was nothing like the one I saw in the Ninth Circle. I wondered if I had changed as well. In a way, I suppose I had. Taking Charon by the hand, I lead him back to the front of the station. Smash was standing with his head pressed against the wall of the building with Jebs close beside him. "AH! Hurting!" The Super Mutant cried, giving Jebs a dirty look.

"Sorry, this one's stuck in there pretty good." Jebs replied and the mutant followed it up with an agitated growl. We moved in closer to see Jeb's digging bullets out of Smash's flesh with a knife. Seeing him in pain brought a hurtful pang to my heart. Quickly taking off my pack, I fished out the only stimpack I had left and walked over to Smash.  
"Hey, big guy." I gave him a half smile, then produced the needle. Smash immediately moved away from me.  
"Nuh uh!" He cried, covering his arms with his massive hands. What, was he really afraid of a itty bitty stim? Gimme a break.  
"Smash," I began, "you trying to tell me that being shot is less scary than this?" I used my free hand to signal the needle I held. Smash whimpered like a small animal and back away from me. I heaved a heavy sigh. "Fine, have it your way, but we at least have to cover those wounds." When I began reaching for my old jumpsuit around his neck he shook his head drastically from side to side. Alright then, complicate things further, why don't ya. I looked to my companions, waiting for someone to give me an idea as to what we could use as a bandage. Jebs' own clothing was completely soaked in blood and sweat, so that wasn't going to be an option, and neither was Charon's leather attire. Of course, why was I even surprised at this point. It would be up to me, as the self sacrificing person I was, to aid Smash. I reached out my arm to Charon, who gazed at me, perplexed. "Rip it off." I commanded, knowing firsthand he was an expert at tearing jumpsuits to shreds. Just thinking about it brought a slight blush to my cheeks. At least it was getting better, my entire face didn't feel like it was on fire. Charon's face told me that he was thinking of the same thing as me. He chuckled and brought his hand up to glide across the length of my arm. The feeling sent a tingling sensation all through my body. Then, he took a firm hold on my suit with both hands and pulled. The sound of ripping fabric filled my ears and a cool breeze assaulted my now bare arm. I took the sleeve from his hand and turned to the side so that he could repeat the process. After my suit had been officially ruined, I went back to Smash.  
"Not stab Smash!" He protested weakly as I took hold of one massive forearms.  
"I won't. Promise." I assured him, examining the hole near his shoulder. I wish I'd had some alcohol to clean it properly, but the most I could do right now was stop the bleeding. He'd gotten hurt because of me, after all. I wrapped the fabric as tightly as I could around his shoulder and secured it in a knot. He had another wound on his side. I made a quick circle around him, I highly doubted the sleeve from my suit would be long enough to tie around it. That left me with only one option. Charon was already moving towards me, aware of what I needed from him. After another ripping session, I said goodbye to clothed legs and finished patching up Smash. He seemed happy enough with the arrangement, so I turned my attention to Jebs.

"Oh, I'm fine. Really." He said when I approached him, rearming myself with the stimpack. Seriously, him too?! I rolled my eyes and poked the needle into his flesh anyway and he stifled a small cry. I was surrounded by babies. His bleeding lip dried up immediately, though the stim could do nothing about his swollen face. Gazing at him filled me with regret.  
"I'm so sorry about what happened to you, Jebs. It's my fault." I said, frowning. He brushed the notion away with a gesture.  
"Isn't your fault. They didn't believe me, is all. I knew the risks. Lucky you came by when you did." His one good eye gazed at me with admiration. So I was the hero this time around. It didn't feel nearly as satisfying as I thought it would as I glanced around at the exhausted faces of my companions. We hadn't slept in days, and only Jebs knew what all he'd been put through at the hands of Talon Company. I wouldn't trouble him with details, it was hard enough on my conscience just looking at him.  
"What will you do now?" I asked him. Talon Company wasn't going away, and it was likely that they'd be after me in full force now.  
"I suppose that depends on where you decide to lead. I think my career is officially over, thanks to you." He added with a wink. I was actually surprised that he was willing to stay after everything that'd went down, but I wasn't about to turn him away, so we began our trek together. Jefferson Memorial would be at least another days worth of traveling, I only hoped my crew had enough left in them to make it that far. I wasn't too fearful of an attack. Only a fool would approach broody entourage like this. Everyone was silent as we went along, it was sort of putting me in a slump. To brighten the mood, I slipped my hand into Charon's and skipped along, humming to myself. Charon sighed. "How are you not tired?"  
"What's the matter, old man? Can't keep up?" I asked, giggling.  
"I'm reserving my energy." He replied through half closed lids. I scrutinized him.  
"What for?"  
"For when I get you alone. I need to teach you a lesson for worrying me." My mouth fell open. I couldn't believe he'd say something like that, especially in front of other people! I thought he was joking, but when I saw how serious the expression he wore was, I started getting a bit concerned.  
"Charon!" I protested.  
"Get a room, you two." Jebs teased, elbowing Charon's side and laughing aloud. Even Smash got into the conversation.  
"Smash think it sweet. Give him hope that he find pretty woman to love." My brows rose. Well, that was a surprise.  
"I didn't peg you as the romantic type, Smash." I didn't think any super mutants were concerned with companionship. He shrugged his massive shoulders.  
"Smash think of it sometimes," he looked dreamily out into the distance, "she be pretty like you, nice too, but bigger, so Smash won't squish her." I suppose that would put a damper on the relationship, I thought.  
"Are there any, well, female mutants?" Jebs asked, sounding unsure. He posed an excellent question. I'd never heard anyone mention a female mutant.  
"Lots!" Smash replied, "but, none like Smash. They just want kill and eat. Smash want more to life." His face began to droop with a forlorn expression. Jeez, I felt like I should be busting out a clipboard and a pair of specks, asking how all this made him feel. What are your dreams, Smash? Your life goals? What is it that makes you tick? I could add psychiatrist to my long list of professions after this.  
"Let me tell you something, my friend." I began, "if that is what you want, a big ass green lady with a heart of gold and a reasonable appetite, it's only a matter of time before you find her." Smash perked up at my words, though I could still see slight apprehension in his murky grey eyes.  
"Really?"  
"Suuuure! I mean look at Charon! If someone like me can land a stud like that, you've got just as good a chance getting yourself a woman." Charon scoffed and rolled his eyes at me. "See? If that ain't a catch I dunno what is." Smash smiled and clapped his hands together, then sent out a loud, cheery laugh that brought on a smile of my own.

Now that Smash seemed back to his usual energetic self, I turned my attention on Jebs. "What about you?" I asked. Jebs smiled lazily.  
"I'm thinking big, white, and fluffy. Not too fluffy, though. Firm enough to give you a little support, you know?" I squinted my eyes at him.  
"You're describing a pillow, Jebs." The tiny ghoul wrapped his arms around himself and sighed sweetly.  
"Mmm, my first love." Something was wrong with that guy. I'd never met someone so obsessed with inanimate objects before, it couldn't be healthy. I gave him a disapproving look, but dropped the subject. From my experience with ghouls, I'd come to learn that most of them had pretty dark pasts that they'd rather forget. The last thing I wanted twas to bring him even more distress. At least everyone was looking a little bit more lively. When we at last reached Jefferson Memorial, almost two full days had passed. We were all pretty exhausted. Even I was too tired to keep up any sort of playful banter. The large white building before us had several enormous rusty pipes running throughout the grounds, making the task of finding an entrance a daunting one. Lucky for us, we spotted a few egg heads examining the pipes. When we got closer, I saw my father among them. He noticed our approach and greeted me with a warm hug, though he did a double take when he saw my ruined garb.  
"Don't ask." I said, shaking my head. Dad sighed, then planted a kiss on my forehead  
"I'm just glad you're safe." He replied. Then he noticed Jebs and his battered face, "we can give your friend here some medical attention." He offered as he was about to approach the ghoul, no doubt to examine his injuries more closely. Jebs raised his hands. "I'll be fine don't worry." My father looked him over with obvious disbelief, but guided us into the memorial and down the old, ruined hall anyway.  
"It will take some time to get the place up and running." He explained as we rounded a bend, "but that can wait for now. You need to rest." We stopped before a room lined with mattresses atop metal frames. I eyed them longingly. Jebs wasted no time flopping onto one of the soft white beds. Smash followed behind, examining one of the small mattresses timidly. "Just take another one in, my friend." Jebs instructed with a yawn. Smash grabbed hold of one of the frames and shoved it against another, creating a larger bed for him to sleep slightly more comfortably. Then, he clapped his giant hands together before gingerly laying down. I chuckled aloud before turning my attention back on my father. "But, I was hoping to talk to you, dad. Catch up, you know?" My eyes fell, "I've really missed you." My father smiled.  
"I'm not going anywhere, I'll be here when you wake up," He embraced me tightly, "we have plenty of time to discuss everything." I suppose he was right about that. There may still be a long road ahead of us, but at least we'd be going through it together. It was difficult just keeping my eyes open at that point. I agreed that rest was exactly what we all needed and moved into the room. I plopped down on one of the beds, then turned my head to face Charon, who was still standing in the hall with my father. I gave him a quizzical look.  
"Just want to have a look around first." He explained with a weary expression. I did find it a bit odd that he was acting so tense, but it wasn't utterly out of character for him, so I simply nodded in understanding before he gently shut the door. A bit of disappointment sank into me. I'd hoped to fall asleep wrapped in Charon's arms. Looking around the dim room and not seeing him within it felt strange. If it were not for my overwhelming fatigue, I certainly wouldn't have been able to fall into my restless sleep.


	15. Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been so long! Very sorry for such an insane delay, but here is, at long last, another chapter. Enjoy!

After I awoke, I found Charon at my side, a stern expression still plastered on his face, even in the dead of sleep. I smiled and rolled my eyes. Jebs and Smash were also passed out. The room echoed with Smash's monstrous snoring. How did I even sleep through that at all? It sounded like a natural disaster was occurring. Being careful not to move the bed too drastically and wake Charon up, I slide off and on to the balls of my feet. Before our day began, I wanted a moment to myself and maybe get a bit of fresh air. Well, as fresh as the air could be, anyway. When I emerged into the hall, I headed back in the direction of the entrance. No one seemed to notice me as I pushed through the front door, as the egg heads were busy setting up all their new equipment. A gust of wind greeted me and I made my way along the perimeter, then up a high scaffolding that surrounded the building. From the vantage point, I could see much of the area around me, though there wasn't much to look at other than debris and a few rusted old automobiles. Several yards away beneath a tree, I spotted a wild mongrel chewing happily on what looked like the bones of a human's leg. Besides that lovely scene, there was a strange stillness in the air, like the calm before a storm. Once, I would have been relaxed in such a quiet setting. Now, I feared what the calm could bring in its wake. I could only hope that Talon Company wouldn't end up finding it's way here. The last thing I wanted to do was bring trouble to my father and his people, and I really did not want to explain to him that there was a bounty on my head.

So much had changed since the last time that I'd seen my dad. A part of me wondered if he would still think the same way about me. Would I still be his sweet, innocent little girl? I was far from the gullible vault dweller that I had been when I first left home. How much of the old me was left? The more time I spent in the wastes, the more of that part of me became lost, no matter how hard I tried to stop it from happening. "Are you alright, sweetie?" A voice came from behind me, causing me to jump in surprise. I turned to see my father standing there with a troubled expression. He'd moved up the stairs so quietly, I'd never even been alerted to his presence. I smiled, hugging him tightly.  
"Just needed a little fresh air." I explained. He joined me at the edge of the iron railing. There was a long silence between us. I suppose we really didn't know what to say to one another, or rather, we didn't know how to begin. It felt like such a long time had passed since we'd been together.

"I've heard good things about you." Dad remarked, breaking the silence. "Did you really disarm the bomb in Megaton?"  
"Oh, that," I replied, scratching the back of my neck awkwardly, "it was nothing." The corner of dad's mouth wrinkled with his wide smile."I am so proud of you. You know that?" He pressed his hand against my back, rubbing it gently as we gazed out at the wastes. My heart leapt at hearing him say that. I may have changed since leaving home, but to my father, I was still just his little girl. It was a good feeling. "Now then, why don't I give you a chance to ask some questions of your own?" I honestly didn't know where to start. The burning question that had been haunting me since the day he'd left was a simple one: why? Why did he do it. Now that we were reunited, the answer hardly seemed relevant. Another question came to my mind then.

"I wasn't born in the vault, was I?" My fathers eyes darkened, then he nodded almost imperceptibly. So Dr Li had been telling the truth after all. "Why didn't you tell me?" I pressed on. Dad lowered his gaze from mine before his explanation began. I was conceived here in this very facility. My mother had been another scientist working on project purity alongside my father and Dr Li. It was her dream to see the project finished, but she died due to heart failure when I was born. That was when my father locked himself and me away inside vault 101.  
"I wanted to keep you safe. I couldn't afford to lose you like I'd lost Katherine." Dad sighed out helplessly. I didn't know what to make of it all. My entire life had been spent inside an underground shelter that I thought was my birthplace, but just because I knew now that it wasn't, what did it change? To me, the vault was still my first real home. I suppose there was closure now that I knew the truth, though not much. I refrained from asking more questions, and soon the quiet between us returned for a brief moment.

"So this Charon fellow seems quite interesting." He said, nudging me. My eyes darted his way then back to the scenery. Charon wasn't exactly my favored topic of discussion to have with my father. I'd never even dated a boy in the vault, I couldn't imagine he'd be overly enthusiastic about my choice to pursue a ghoul. "He spoke with me, you know. While you were asleep." My brows rose in surprise at that, but I waited for him to continue, though my mind was filled with questions. "He had a lot of good things to say about you. He seems very devoted, I think he will be good for you." I felt heat rising in my cheeks and couldn't suppress a goofy smile. I hadn't expected Charon to do something like that, but I wasn't about to argue with it. Being told that my father approved of him had made an enormous weight lift off of my shoulders. In fact, I felt a little silly for having worried about it at all. Knowing my father, he wouldn't care who or what I wanted to be with, as long as they made me happy.

Suddenly, there came a call from another scientist who had made her way halfway up the scaffolding, short brown hair bouncing around her head as she went. "Sir! We need you in the purification chamber at once." As she drew nearer, I began to note her labored breath. I could even see a line of perspiration on her forehead. How long had she been bustling about, I wondered. Dad frowned and glanced my way, I tried my best to hide my disappointment by plastering a large, fake smile on my face. With great hesitation, he nodded at the woman, who handed him a clipboard. Then he looked back to me.  
"Later today, kiddo. We will finish our talk, alright?" I agreed readily, though inside I wanted nothing more than to spend more time with him. He could see right through my facade, though. My father could always tell when I was bluffing. He sighed, placing his hands on my shoulders. "Do you remember that passage I would always read to you in the vault? Your mother's favorite." I nodded, it was something that had been ingrained into my head: the only link I had to the mother I never met.

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end."  
"I will give unto him that is the athirst of the fountain of the water of life, freely." Dad said, finishing off the passage, a far off look in his saddening eyes. Even to this day, it was clear how badly he missed my mother. I couldn't even imagine his pain. If I ever lost Charon, I doubted that I would be strong enough to go on. All these years, and I'd never understood what exactly that quote meant. Now, it was starting to make since. The purifier represented the water of life. He was so close to completing the work my mother had dreamed of. It was easy to see how important it was to him. I could wait to spend quality time with him. Now that we'd been reunited, we had all the time in the world.

Before parting ways, my father gave me a few simple tasks to get the place back into proper running conditions. It mostly consisted of flipping switches and replacing damaged fuses. Practically all of it could be considered 'busy work', but I was more than happy to do it. I had completed everything on the checklist save for one final task: to reactivate the drain pipes, which meant I would literally have to make my way through the pipe system to the controls at the end. Charon had eventually met back up with me while I was working. He leaned against one of the walls as he watched me finishing up. Oh, please don't trouble yourself, I can handle this on my own, I thought begrudgingly to myself as he watched on. Lucky for me, the pipes were quite spacious, and I didn't have to crawl around on my hands and knees to reach the switch, though I wasn't spared from stepping through ankle-deep muck and grim and whatever the hell that green stuff was.

"Did you sleep well?" I asked Charon after reappearing from the pipes and sauntering over to him.  
"Not as good as Smash is sleeping." Charon replied with a frown. I laughed, reaching my hand up to caress his cheek. He looked down at me, lines forming on his forehead, obviously displeased by my chipper attitude.  
"You poor thing! What ever am I going to do with you?" I raised myself up on the balls of my feet and planted a light kiss on his lips, which instantly broke from a grimace into a crooked smiled. A quiet chuckle escaped him, quite a drastic change from his broody demeanor moments ago. I eyed him quizzically, "what's so funny?"  
"Do you think I forgot about earlier?" He asked in a low tone. I hadn't the slightest idea as to what he could be talking about. Before I could question him about it, he grabbed me by the waist and spun me around until my back was flat against the wall that he'd been leaning on. He smiled down at me cynically. "Didn't I tell you I'd punish you for what you put me through?" I felt one of his hands grip securely onto my thigh, causing my breath to catch. His lips pressed against mine before I could utter any sort of protest, his fingers moving further up my thigh. Even though I had been in much more intimate situations with Charon, I couldn't help but feel flustered by his touch. His lips moved roughly against my own until, at length, I succumbed. I could feel his smile through our kiss as he moved his hand up my body.

"Wait!" I managed to force his mouth from mine. He paused, though he didn't remove himself. I'd begun to hear a slight humming, and although it started out very low, it had grown increasingly louder as the seconds went by. I had written it off as my own imagination, but now it was becoming impossible to ignore. "What is that?"  
Charon and I moved to the window to see an airship hastily approaching the building. It stopped right in between the scaffolding and the plant itself then began it's descent, as it did so, men appeared from within the craft. I'd never seen such heavy suits like the ones they wore, but I'd heard of it. It was called power armor, and it was supposedly difficult to come by. Most people never saw a set in their life, but I laid my eyes upon half a dozen as they dropped down from the craft. I couldn't even begin to guess who these people might've been, but the cold chill down my spine told me that they were most certainly not our allies. As if to further that point, laser weapons appeared in their hands. I looked to Charon, who gazed back at me grimly. We wasted no time pulling out our own weapons.

The shouting, followed by shooting started almost immediately after the troops disappeared from sight. I grabbed hold of Charon's arm and rushed back towards the main room. I took my place behind Charon as we entered. We were met by a single assailant who had already managed to force his way inside. Charon gunned him down before he even knew we were upon him, as he was too engrossed with the panicking scientists around him.  
"Get somewhere safe!" Charon commanded. The men and woman obeyed, scurrying off in the opposite direction. Smash and Jebs had awoken from their slumber, and were busy trying to protect an unarmed woman who was cowering in a corner. They were surrounded by a group of soldiers. Jebs was halfway behind an overturned table as he fired at the troops with his pistol, and Smash was going to work with his giant hammer. Charon joined in on the attack and the three of them together expertly felled their opponents. While they directed the scientists to run to safety, I scanned the area in search for my dad, though I knew he wouldn't be here. We would find him at the plant's center, with the purifier.

"My father, Charon!" I pleaded. He nodded and forced his way through the hall with a hail of bullets. I stayed close behind, watching his flank after telling Jebs and Smash to stay behind and help the others. We rushed into the water purification room. On top of the ominous silence, I realized immediately that something was horribly wrong when I ran up the stairs and saw Dr. Li. Her face stricken in horror. She stared fixated on what was going on behind the glass doors that held the control panel to the purifier. I saw my father, his expression stern as he stared down a man I didn't recognize and another soldier dressed in the grey colored power armor. The soldier held a gun and was pointing it straight at my dad. There was a scientist already laying dead at my fathers feet. I recognized her as the one that had found him outside on the scaffolding. Her brown hair was matted with blood.

"What the hells going on?" I hissed at Dr Li. She looked back to me, her face contorting with pain.  
"He just shot her when your dad refused to hand over control of the project."  
"Break the glass, Charon!" I commanded, but Dr. Li chimed in at once.  
"It's military grade. It won't break." Of course it was. I could only stare at the altercation, my heart stopping in my chest as I prayed to whatever was listening to spare my father. I couldn't hear much of what they were saying, but even I knew that if these people really wanted to take over the project, my father would sooner die before allowing that to happen. I saw him move for the controls and the soldier replaced his weapon. "What is he doing!" Dr. Li sounded so alarmed it caused a panic to rise within me. Suddenly, there was a loud bursting sound and the glass chamber shook violently. Thick clouds of green began filling the space. I shrieked an ear piercing cry as the man and his soldier toppled to the ground. Dad stumbled forward, falling against the door. I moved to him in a rush.

"Hurry, open the door!" I said, the panic in my voice causing it to shake. Dr Li reached out to grab onto my arm.  
"No! It will fill the entire room with radiation!" I jerked away from her.  
"I don't care!" I turned back to the door, looking for the release to open it. My mind reeled, I couldn't focus as my fingers stumbled clumsily around the frame. "No, no no!" I looked desperately at my dad, and he looked back at me with half closed eyes and a sad smile.  
"Run." He wheezed, falling down on one knee. I stared at him in horror, tears filling my eyes.  
"I'm not leaving you in there!" I protested as my father gasped for breath that would not come. "Charon!" I cried as he fell to the floor. "Dad!" I screamed, kicking and slapping at the unyielding barrier keeping me from my father. Tears fell down my face freely. I didn't see anything, didn't hear anything. All my senses were focused on the form of my father. He was dead, I knew that but I couldn't accept it. I'd worked so hard to find him, only to have him taken away from me now. It wasn't fair! My fists pounded against the glass, even when they began to ache from the beating. There was so much I wanted to say to him, to ask him. We were supposed to have more time! Dr. Li's voice broke through my mind.

"We have to get out. Now!" I didn't make a move to leave though, it disgusted me that she'd even suggest we leave without him. He was the reason any of this was possible! Without him, there was no project. There was nothing at all. Without warning, I was being lifted into the air. Charon threw me over one of his large shoulders and began heading for the exit.  
"Charon!" I shouted, hitting him on his back with my fists. "Please, save him! My dad! Charon, please!" He didn't slow his pace. Behind him, Dr. Li followed closely. I clawed at the air viciously as his fallen form got further and further away from me. I fought with all the strength I had to free myself and return to the chamber, but Charon didn't loosen his hold even slightly. Out of anyone I knew, he was supposed to be the one always on my side, but he had betrayed me instead. He'd willingly left my father behind.

"Enclave soldiers are all over, but there's a grate leading to the tunnels that everyone's headed for. It's the only way to escape." Dr Li said as Charon kicked open the door. I sobbed into his back. Why was this world so cruel? Dad wanted to make it a better place, and now he was dead; the one person who deserved life more than anyone. I didn't look up as Charon moved me cautiously through the old building. A part of me hoped that we'd be caught by the soldiers and gunned down, if only to end the pain wracking my chest. Charon knelt down and slowly lowered me from his shoulder. I stared daggers into him when our eyes met. All the betrayal I felt was put into that look, tears still pouring from them. He looked back at me and sighed.

"If I could have saved him, I would have, but he's gone." He explained, his eyes pleading. It didn't matter now. Even if Charon had broken open that door, my father was already dead. Nothing would change it, so why did I still want to blame him?  
"Let's go." I demanded, shoving passed him and dropping into the sewer below. Charon followed quickly behind me and replaced the grate. Dr. Li and her assistants crowded around, waiting for us. Jebs and Smash were also there. The two of them both looked relieved to see Charon and I, but they gazed at me with concern in their eyes. I simply turned away from them both, hardening my expression as I did so.  
"We have to hurry!" Dr Li insisted, rushing towards me and thrusting a pistol my way. I stared at the weapon with disgust, given to me by the woman who abandoned my father without a second thought. She didn't even seem the least bit upset at his demise, only furthering my contempt for her.

"I don't need anything from you." I stated flatly, tossing the weapon aside and unsheathing my sword.  
"You're going to fight the Enclave with that? Are you insane?"  
"You're lucky I'm not using it on you." I hissed, moving passed her. I would help these people get out of here, only for my father's sake, but once I was out of this place, I was done with them. "Keep up or you get left behind." I commanded, leading the way through the filthy tunnels. Charon, Smash, and Jebs walked along beside me. It hadn't taken Smash and Jebs long to realize that my father wasn't coming with us. They understood well enough what must have happened, and remained silent. The fact that I still had them with me was a small comfort. If it wasn't for them, I doubted that I would have been able to go on at all.

Only a few minutes into our trek, Dr Li stopped us. "We can't keep going. It's Garza. He-"  
"Then we leave him." I replied flatly. I sensed Charon giving me a sidelong glance, but I pretended not to notice. Dr. Li persisted anyway.  
"He has a weak heart! If you have some stimpacks on you, I can treat him." I spun on my heels to face her, not bothering to mask my mounting rage. Her eyes widened in surprise at my hostility  
"You have a lot of nerve," I hissed. The woman had been more than willing to abandon my dad, but wanted waste valuable supplies and to risk us all for some nobody. I ripped my pack from my back and shoved it towards her, "you've got about ten seconds before I leave you all here to die." Dr. Li didn't bother to respond. She turned and rushed over to a man that had collapsed on the ground, his brow breaking out in sweat. Dr. Li quickly rummaged through my bag for the supplies she needed and went to work.

Seeing the pain on the mans face filled me with shame. The way I was treating these innocent people: it was undeserved. Dr Li was not the one that had caused my father's death. None of them had been responsible. My thoughts trailed off to the look my father had given me when he'd asked me about the Megaton bomb. How would he look at me in this moment, I wondered. I felt a hand on my shoulder and glanced up to see Charon looking down on me. "Nothing I can say could make what happened less painful." He said, brushing away a tear that had began rolling down my face, unnoticed by me. He sighed heavily and wrapped his arms around me. I sobbed openly, curling my hands into fists against his chest. I didn't even care if all these people saw me breaking. In that moment, and in my mind, the only ones in that tunnel were myself and Charon. My body shook and heaved violently, causing Charon to tighten his grip further. He was right, nothing would make the pain disappear. My father was gone. After everything I had went through to reunite with him, it had all been for nothing. I had failed him."We spoke about you a lot." Charon said once my sobs had lessened. I composed myself well enough to raise my head from his chest and look into his eyes, waiting for him to continue. "I'll tell you everything once we're safe." He assured me and I agreed readily enough. If anything, it gave me a reason to go on. To hear the first, and only conversation between the two men I loved more than life, I would persevere for that.


End file.
